Closer
by Edgypoo
Summary: Eve knows how the townspeople talk about her and Zacharias. What she didn't know is if there was any truth to the rumors. But apparently, nothing's private when the man you're with is a local celebrity. DarklawXBarnham, M to be safe.
1. Experiment

The courthouse was cold.

The sun had long set over Labyrinthia, the moon glowing gently among the stars, contrasting against the dark sky as the wind blew gently. Eve had considered leaving long ago before eventually deciding against it. She couldn't bear clutter, and she refused to let her desk reach the state of the one across from her. She wouldn't be surprised if the sheer weight of the papers alone caused it to collapse on itself and coat her impeccable floor with splinters. Shuddering at the thought, she bent over her work once more, attempting to reach the level of concentration she'd had a few moments ago, so engrossed in completing her task she didn't even noticed her co-worker leave only an hour ago. Much to her chagrin, her eyes refused to focus, and her gaze flitted over to the gifts surrounding her on the desk, having already eaten the banana bread and subtly slipped the fast food voucher in the waste paper bin at her feet. The necklace had unfortunately snapped when she tried to put it around her neck, but she kept the flowers nonetheless, placing them in a dish of water beside Espella's photograph. Her final gift had been left on a small plate near the edge of the table, if only to prevent the surface from becoming sticky with chocolate and cream.

Eve's hand slowly edged towards the éclair, holding it as if it would break if she squeezed too hard. Looking closer, it didn't seem as if the lumps would make much of a difference to the flavour, or even texture. They weren't too large; in fact they were hardly even noticeable under the pastry. So why was it that when she had first accepted the present, they seemed so much bigger? When it had been handed to her by a rather flustered Knight of the Inquisition, it seemed misshapen to the point of being inedible, but as she looked closer… _Maybe you were so desperate to find a flaw with his gift you exaggerated its imperfections?_ She discarded the theory as quickly as she had thought it. It was probably something to with the light, or her eyesight, or the way he'd held it in his gauntlet.

She brought the snack to her lips, taking a tentative bite before immediately retching. _Oh how wrong she'd been_. The lumps proved to be pockets of flour where he hadn't mixed it correctly, the powder becoming a tasteless paste in her mouth. Nevertheless, she swallowed gratefully, but discarded the rest, disguising it in a spare sheet of parchment, should he notice she'd thrown it away and take offence. The last thing she needed was a hot headed temper tantrum from a fully grown man to distract her from her work more than he already had. Wiping her fingers on a handkerchief, she picked up her quill once more and continued to write. Thankfully she became engrossed once more, the pen nib scratching against the paperwork, sending her into a trance almost. If she had not been interrupted once more, she would have undoubtedly finished before midnight.

"Oi oi!" The door swung open with a clatter, making Eve jump a mile in the air. The ginger tavern owner glanced about the room and tutted. "Sorry about that Lady Darklaw. I missed him then?"

Eve cleared her throat, regaining her composure and brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Him?"

"Zach? You know, basically the only other 'him' who's ever in here?" The woman chuckled, moving to lean against the other desk. It creaked under her weight. "The guy probably went home, right?"

Releasing a deep sigh, Eve set her quill back in its holder. She'd never finish now. "And how would I know that? He could be anywhere."

Rouge hummed under her breath, a smile creeping over her lips as she strolled closer. "So…you two cool?"

"Define 'cool', Miss Rouge."

"You guys get along? You friends? Civil, at least?"

A brow arched on Eve's side, leaning back in her chair and looking over the papers nearest to her. "He's a valuable co-worker. And a fine knight; he's proved himself helpful to both me and the townspeople over the years." She glanced up. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason, no reason!" Rouge threw her hands in the air in defence. "It's just, uh- well, you know. People talk."

"I knew that.

"About Zach"

"I knew that too."

"And you."

Eve froze, her mouth turning dry. "W-what do you mean about _me_?"

"Not just you! They talk about him too!"

"No, no." She shook her head rapidly. "Go back. You were talking about me; what do they say about me?"

Rouge stared at her as if her head had turned into a pig's. "Oh god, you really don't know do you?" The freckled woman leaned over the desk till they were nose to nose, her shirt riding down her chest. "You're not listening: _They talk about you and Zach_." Eve shrugged, still not understanding, until the penny dropped and a dark realisation dawned on her.

She spoke slowly, mind turning as she digested the information. "The townspeople think that Zach- er, Zacharias and I are…?"

"Screwing?" Rouge cracked up as colour rushed to Eve's face and ears. "Or maybe something less vulgarly worded, but they all mean the same thing anyways. Screwing? Hooking up? Doin' the dance with no pants?"

"Miss Rouge, please!" The level of mortification she felt at this moment was far beyond any level she'd felt recently, even having to strike a pose in front of everyone. "Who even started those sort of rumours?!"

"Well technically, it was you two."

"Excuse me?!" She exclaimed loudly, doing her best 'angry Inquisitor voice'.

"You really think we're all blind, 'Miss Eve'?" She mocked, impersonating his deeper voice rather well. "We've seen the way he looks at you! And now we hear things about the exchange of handmade gifts?" Rouge grinned at the expression her words had slapped on Eve's face. "You lovebirds are basically already hitched."

Eve stood suddenly, making the other woman flinch only slightly. She gathered her belongings, strutting towards the exit. She'd had more than enough of this conversation. "Hey! Where you going? Gonna go visit your man?"

"Don't be ridiculous." She spat back, spinning on her heel. "I'm going to nip this in the bud before it goes any further. It's been a pleasure, Rouge."

"Wait one more thing!"

Eve sighed, glancing over her shoulder. "What is it?"

"I gotta ask, just because this particular debate had reached a brick wall with my regulars…"

"And what is that debate?"

Rouge leant closer, lowering her voice. "…Which one of you goes on top?"

* * *

Eve's mouth opened and closed like a fish, frozen in shock. Then she turned to walk away, leaving a hysterical Rouge behind her.

The bakery was closed, as she'd expected, but Espella let her in. She rubbed her hands together, grateful for the warmth of the fire against the far wall. Patty Éclair gave her smile, furiously whisking some kind of batter in a large bowl.

"I wasn't expecting you this late, Eve!" Her young friend exclaimed, twirling a strand of loose hair around her finger. "Did you want to talk or something?"

"Yes. Well, no, not to you. Not like that!" She said quickly when Espella's face fell like a lead balloon. "I just needed to talk to Zacharias. Just a tedious work thing." _Liar_. "Is he still awake?"

"He's in the other room," Patty spoke up, motioning to a door leading to the living area. "You better hope he hasn't fallen asleep on the couch. Better hurry before he dozes off." Eve thanked them, rushing towards the door and wincing as it creaked, shutting it behind her.

The man lying across the sofa immediately snapped his head up. "Miss Eve!" He was curled up in the corner of the couch, a book resting in one hand, the other gently stroking the undeniably adorable mutt that tailed him all over town. His armour had been carefully placed by his side, leaving him in just a tunic and pants.

Marking his place in the book, he got to his feet, straightening his clothes. "I wasn't uh..." He cleared his throat as she rolled her eyes. He still couldn't get through a sentence without stammering? "I was not expecting you." He finally got out. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"What on earth are you doing Zacharias?" She demanded. He flinched, as if she had hit him.

"W-What do you mean by that?"

"Have you not heard what people have been saying about us?! Listen to me, I don't care what you feel for me, but you cannot run all over Labyrinthia claiming me as your own!"

His face flushed until it matched his hair, mouth falling open in shock at her harsh claims. "I have no idea what you're talking about! Why in the world would I say such a thing?"

"You like me, don't you?"

Zacharias froze at this comment, eyes wide but expression otherwise blank. Eve was amazed that she had managed to leave him speechless with so few words. "Well?" she pressed. "It's true isn't it?" He remained silent, no quite meeting her eye, as if formulating a response.

"…I have not ruled that out."

She scoffed. "And what is that supposed to mean, Sir Barnham?"

"It means I don't know, Miss Eve!" He snapped suddenly, mimicking her tone before calming himself and speaking more quietly. "I don't know how I feel. I've never, erm- Well, I've never felt like this about anyone before."

Eve's feet moved of their own accord, inching towards him without thinking until they were toe to toe. "If you're confused, Zacharias, then I believe I can offer some clarification." She took his hands, placing them on her waist even as he protested, cradling his neck in her hands.

"Miss Eve, I-I really don't think we should erm-"

"We are not going to kiss tonight." She said bluntly. His shoulders sagged slightly; with relief or disappointment, she couldn't tell. "Just let me try something. It's an experiment." He arched a brow and nodded slightly. _Where am I going with this?_ she briefly wondered, before pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind. She felt his pulse speed up under her fingers and against her chest, realising how close their bodies were, how their chests were pressed together. He swallowed and fidgeted slightly, breathing becoming shallow as his eyes darted to her lips, then to her eyes, then to her neck, her chest, then nowhere in particular.

Eve shivered and wet her lips, bringing his face closer to her's. She'd never been this close to anyone before, especially not _him_ , and yet now she could feel his breath, and see tiny details on him she'd never noticed about him- how his brows arched, or how thick his hair was, or how his skin darkened around the scar on his forehead, the tiny freckles around his hairline, his lips, his eyes, oh dear _god_ his eyes…

It took her a good half minute of staring at him hard before noticing he was doing the same with her, studying every one of her features with clear fascination. Eve felt her cheeks flush under his gaze, flinching as he brought a hand up to run over the skin just below her jawline. His hands were cool and calloused after years of training and manual labour, and his touch made something break within her. She wanted that touch, she… she wanted him to touch her.

She inwardly cursed herself for thinking like that. Why did she have to feel like this, dammit? She'd never had a problem with feelings about men in the past; why the hell did it have to be him that broke her?! Damn her apparent weakness for bright eyes and broad muscles.

"Miss Eve?"

The familiar voice dragged her out of her daydream, and she realised he was even closer than he had been a moment ago. Their noses brushed and he shuddered, eyes widening as if asking her permission for something. They were closer than ever now, their foreheads touching as they scarcely even breathed.

"M-Miss Eve," Zacharias whispered this time, the vibrations of his voice making her tremble with anticipation. She wanted his touch. She wanted him to kiss her, and now she knew it for sure.

"Miss Eve, I erm…I…"

He trailed off as he leant forward, his lips brushing her's but not quite colliding. Eve gasped and pulled away, distancing herself from him. They were not going to kiss tonight. She'd promised herself that. Her chest heaved as her lungs begged for air, her body feeling cold without him against her. She looked up at him, looking sort of confused and hurt and lost, with an expression not unlike Constantine.

"Zacharias, what on earth was that?!"

"I'm sorry, I just…" He coughed, face flushing even darker. "I thought that you… I thought you would want to-"

"You thought I wanted to kiss you?" Eve forced herself to smile even as the feeling of his lips on her's lingered and tingled. "I told you right off the bat that we were not going to kiss tonight; why would I change my mind?"

"I am _so_ sorry, but you just…You looked like you wanted to." He sounded out every syllable slowly, as if he didn't understand what he was thinking himself. "Y-You just looked so flushed and you were panting and your pulse was going fast as hell and you kept looking at my mouth and-"

"Oh please don't make me laugh!" She chuckled and shook her head, hating herself for what she was doing. "It's all in your head Zacharias. Wishful thinking? You must _really_ like me to be imagining things like that." Oh great, he was doing the face again. His eyes went all round and sad and his whole body seemed to deflate and droop. Damn him.

"Well I think I'll be taking my leave now," Eve continued. _Why must I keep having to hurt him so?!_ Her insides curled with self-loathing, saying such hateful things to him while still plagued with the burning desire to have him touch her, to touch him, to kiss him. She wanted him, more badly than she'd ever wanted anything, and yet whenever she opened her mouth, all that came out was slander or nothing at all. Wonderful.

"See you at work, Zacharias." Eve paused, before getting on her tip toes and kissing him. It was only on the cheek, and it didn't last longer than a couple of seconds, but she'd kissed him, even if it wasn't properly. That would keep her going for a while. He didn't reply, just nodding as she walked further away once more, leaving the warmth of the bakery and greeting Espella goodnight.

She hated walking all the way back to her house, especially at night, but there was no way around it. She thought as her heels clicked against the stone pathways and the road through the woods, imagining all the ways that encounter could have gone if she'd only indulged herself and claimed what she wanted. If she had kissed him, she'd probably still be with him right now, but she hadn't. She'd been stubborn and cruel and not gotten him when she'd had the chance, and now one of his little followers would swoop in and take him for herself, and they'd kiss all they wanted to because she'd do it whenever she had the chance, and they'd get married and have children and leave Eve to grow old and lonely and never kiss anyone because she couldn't get over not kissing the one she wanted when she could and then she'd be alone her whole life because she can't let him go and then she'd die and the world would end and-

…Okay it wouldn't go exactly like that. Eve sighed and rolled her head back, wishing and wishing that she'd get what she wanted eventually, no matter how long she had to wait for him. She smiled to herself sadly. Yeah right. She'd never have him. He was too good for her and she knew it. Eve shook her head, unlocking her door and collapsing on the couch.

She just had to make herself better.


	2. Semi-kiss

"Eve? Eve! Your desk!"

Eve snapped her head up, gasping as she saw the now almost empty inkpot lying on its side. She cursed loudly, hurriedly collecting up the most important papers before they were ruined too.

"And mind your language, won't you? Please Eve, what if someone heard you?" Espella scolded her from across the room, looking over Barnham's desk with disapproval. "Anyway, you should really be watching what you're doing at work. You don't want your side of the office looking like _this._ " She motioned to the clutter. "I have no idea why he doesn't just clean all this up. It should take too long if all of us helped… Oh, look at this!" She chuckled as she pulled the crude drawing from the chalkboard. "I must admit, he certainly captured your essence!"

"Hilarious," Eve muttered, doing her best to soak up the ink with the tissues in her pocket. "He'll never clean up that mess, and yes it's slightly irritating, but despite the state of his 'side', I'm sure he takes his role here seriously."

"There are literally documents folded into paper aeroplanes over here! He uses gym equipment as a paperweight, he frequently plays with a dog on the job, and his handwriting may start neat but by the end of the paper, it doesn't even look like writing anymore!"

"Yes well…" Eve plonked herself down in her chair once more, clearing her throat. "So long as it all gets done."

Espella sighed and dragged a chair over, sitting heavily across from her. "What's up with you Eve?"

"What do you mean?"

"Something's on your mind, I can tell. You're all distracted and you keep messing up your work- work you haven't even made a dent in today, by the way! Not to mention I've been here half an hour and you've barely said ten words, so…what's on your mind?" Eve hesitated. She loved Espella, she really did, but she didn't have to share everything with her, right? And it really wasn't a good idea to tell her about feelings she may or not have for a man- _a man she currently lives with_ , she remembered- when she didn't even understand what these feeling were herself. It would be foolish, and ill-advised, and stupid, and-

"Is there a boy?"

 _Dammit!_

"Eve? Is it a boy?" Was it really that obvious?! She felt herself blushing furiously as she struggled to piece together a reasonable response, but all that escaped were a few incomprehensible gasps and stammers. Espella squealed and leaned closer, clapping her hands and grinning in delight. "There IS a boy! Oh Eve, do tell!"

"No, Espella, there's no boy! No boy, just…"

"Just what?!" Her friend was practically beside herself with excitement.

"Well, t-there's a, erm…there's a…"

"A what?!"

"Yes, there's a man!" She blurted out. God, could this get anymore humiliating?! She winced as Espella squealed again, wondering how many dogs she could torture with that voice.

"Oh Eve! Who is it?! You have to introduce me to him! What's he like? Is he cute?"

"Espella, please! We're not even dating, I just- I don't know, I like him!"

"Who is he, then?" She asked excitedly, not even able to keep still in her seat. "What's his name?"

"He's no one! Well, no, no not no one, but uh, y-you wouldn't know him."

"Huh. So…you really like him?"

Eve sighed, fidgeting. She'd already had to lie about who it was she had her eye on; if she had to tell anymore, she was sure to slip up somewhere and unravel this whole thing. "He's…nice." She murmured, trying to be a vague as possible.

Espella sighed loudly and shook her head. "Nice? That's it? Come on Eve, give me something to work with here! I need details! Is he handsome?"

"Well…yeah. Yes, yes he is."

"And what else?! Smart, romantic, fun…?"

"Relatively, he tries his best, and I suppose his friends must think so. For goodness sake Espella, I feel like I'm being cross-examined here!"

"If only you were, then I might get a little more out of you." The younger girl rose from her chair, moving it back behind the other desk. "Still, I think it's good you've met someone. With any luck he'll straighten you out a little, you know? Maybe bring you out of your shell, give you a chance to loosen up?"

Eve scoffed. "I highly doubt that."

"Aw, five o'clock already?" She looked down at her watch, ignoring Eve. "I'd better be heading back to the bakery now; Auntie Patty will be wondering where I've got to. You want to come back with me and say hello to everyone? It's been so long since we've had a sleepover!"

"As awful as that sounds, I really should get this finished. I'm already behind because of the time I spent being interrogated by _you."_

"Sorry, sorry. It won't happen again. I'll see you tomorrow, Eve."

"Goodnight." The door clicked shut and Eve sighed deeply. She knew she'd have to tell her eventually and it made her rotten to keep secrets nowadays, considering how many she was forced to keep during the project. At least for now, she'd rather keep the whole thing quiet. Her chair creaked as she leaned forward in her seat, picking up the next sheet of parchment.

Looks like it would be a long night.

It was past midnight when Eve was finally able to make her way home. The streets were still rather busy, but mostly with drunkards and tourists flashing photographs of anyone that would smile and stay still. Most of the lights in the houses were off, the streetlights illuminating the bell tower, standing proudly in the centre of the square. Despite all the history and traumatic memories behind it, Eve still couldn't help but love the sight of it, and it did remind her of her father at least.

The tavern was still buzzing with noise and energy, and she could hear from the end of the street. A group of women stumbled from the doors, laughing loudly and tripping over each other's feet as they made an attempt to get themselves home in one piece. Eve passed the establishment, glancing through the window as she did, and stopped when she saw Zacharias.

It wasn't uncommon from him to be in the tavern, at least that's what she'd heard. Apparently he often drank with the others and was good friends with the owner, though she could never quite imagine it until now. He was sat at the bar, his cheeks and nose a few shades redder than usual, that grin of his plastered on his face as he gulped down whatever was in that flagon. Rouge was sitting on the bar just above him, quickly refilling his cup even as he shook his head rapidly. She was talking animatedly, clearly not exactly sober herself as she and a few other girls started to surround him, clapping their hands and chanting as he hurriedly gulped down his drink. Some ale dribbled from the corners of his mouth, and Eve struggled to contain a gasp when one blonde girl she'd seen guarding the tower sometimes pushed forward to clamber onto his lap, tilting the flagon upwards so he had to drink faster still. That little-! That _tart_! Her anger was only heated more when the broad moved closer to him, running her tongue across his neck and jaw to lick up the ale that escaped. The girls smirked and cheered and Zacharias threw his head back and laughed, as if this was all some big joke to them.

Eve felt her fists clench as she watched the scene unfold before her, moving away from the small window and leaning against the wall beside it, sick of looking at them all. She felt a sharp pang of jealousy run through her, heart thudding against her ribs as she got her breathing under control, gritting her teeth so hard they hurt. After a few moments she finally began to cool down, breathing deeply as she became more relaxed.

"Hey!" Oh god. She twisted her head round to spot the permanently energetic ginger girl swinging on the doorframe. "How you doing, Darklaw?" She all but shouted.

"Fine, thank you Rouge."

"You don't look fine," she said a little more quietly. "Do you want a drink or something?"

"No, no thank-"

"Hold on a sec." She leaned back inside before Eve could stop her. "SOMEONE CHUCK ME THAT BOTTLE ON THE COUNTER!" She did shout this time. Very loudly. A voice within called out a warning, and Rouge only just caught the bottle that hurtled towards her. "CHEERS MATE!" She screamed again, before twisting the cap open and leaning next to Eve. "So what's going on High Inquisisisisitor?" Rouge said five times too many 'S's and 'I's as she took a long swig of brown liquid before grimacing and spitting it out. Eve leaned away instinctively, sighing quietly as her shoes were splattered with alcohol and spit. "That's a sipping whiskey," Rouge gasped.

"Indeed," Eve agreed. "And nothing is going on. In fact I was just heading home."

"Do you always stop and spy on us when you leave on Fridays?"

Shit. "I'm sorry Rouge, I just glanced in and I saw someone I knew and I-"

"Actually that was kind of a serious question, because if you do, I was only hanging from that as a joke, and that girl's wrist is going to be totally fine in a week or so!"

Eve laughed at the genuine concern in her voice. "It was only tonight. I swear."

"Okay. That's good. Okay."

"Hey Rouge!" The door clattered open again, and a dark haired girl Eve didn't recognise leaned out. "The music's starting! Get your ass back in here!"

"Got to go back in now Missus Darklaw! Bye bye! See you later!" She teetered back in on her heels, trying not to turn her ankle as she struggled to get back inside. Eve responded in kind, turning back towards her home. This was good. She would just walk back home, go to bed, finally get some sleep. At least that's what she wanted to do. But then again…she had to look in that window again, and she immediately wished she hadn't.

For a start, Zacharias wasn't wearing his shirt. In fact, that blonde girl- Foxy was her name- was wearing it wrapped around her like some kind of mini dress. She could get past that and write it off as friendly gesture on his part. Something she couldn't ignore though was that they were dancing. Her hands were all over his bare torso while his were wrapped around her waist, their foreheads touching and their mouths curled into wide smiles. Eve felt her blood begin to boil again, though she couldn't look away if she tried. If either of them moved the smallest amount closer, they could almost-

Foxy leaned in and kissed him hard.

Eve's blood ran cold. Her heart didn't bother skipping a beat and decided to stop instead. The ground spun. She felt sick. She couldn't breathe. She had to leave, and broke out into a sprint to get home, running all the way through the forest, over the bridge, down the misty path, slamming her front door behind her. She ran up the stair case, stumbling a few times, running into her room, collapsing in bed, not bothering to get changed, and cried herself to sleep.

"What time did you get back last night then?" Mrs Éclair bustled around the small stove, scraping bacon and eggs and sausages onto his plate at once.

"Late," Barnham muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose and noting the headache behind his eyes. He was thirsty and his mouth was dry and he'd already been sick more than once. The last thing he should have wanted was food, though he was very hungry.

"How late though?"

"I don't know. About five?"

"Five?! Zacharias, five is so late it's early!" He just hummed in agreement, shovelling down his breakfast. "And slow down, child! You'll choke yourself!"

Espella skipped downstairs happily, beaming when she saw the state of him. "Morning Sir Barnham!" She made a point of shouting in his ear, and he grimaced.

"Is there anything you enjoy more than my suffering Espella?"

She made sympathetic sound. "I'm sorry, but you've only brought this upon yourself, and you know it!" She began to dig into her own breakfast. "Speaking of your suffering, did I tell you about Eve, Mr Barnham?"

"What about her?" He hadn't spoken the woman since their…encounter a few days ago. In fact he'd gone to such lengths as to sneak into the office when it was too early for her to be there to take the papers he needed to finish that day and work from home. He'd done more baking, he'd spent time at Rouge's, and he'd done a lot more training at the garrison, anything to keep him busy really. It was all done discreetly, however. He didn't want her to think he was avoiding her (mainly because he was).

"Well, don't you dare say I told you, but Eve told me that she's met someone!"

"Isn't she always meeting people?" Barnham asked between mouthfuls.

"You know what I mean! She's met a man!"

"What?" This got his attention.

"Oh, that's lovely Espella!" Patty spoke up. "She's such a pretty girl, it's no wonder someone wants to settle down with her. It'll be good for her, it will."

"Espella, what do you mean she's met a man?" Suddenly Zacharias had lost his appetite.

She gave him an odd look. "She's met a human being who identifies as male?"

"How do you even know this?! Eve wouldn't want to tell anyone about that!"

Patty chuckled. "On a first name basis now are we? I think we all know who her mystery man is now!"

He blushed despite himself, shaking his head. "Eve- Miss Eve wouldn't talk about anything like that so casually."

Espella narrowed her eyes slightly and stared at him hard. "Auntie, do you mind going out to the market for me? We're out of eggs."

"Now?" Patty raised a brow. "It's only seven thirty!"

"Yes. Yes now."

She sighed heavily and pulled on her cloak. "Fine, fine. I won't be long."

"Take your time," Espella called after her, waving her goodbye as the door shut behind her. "Okay, Sir Barnham. Do you want to tell me something?"

"What do you mean?" He cleared his throat and picked up the paper from the chair beside him, opening in the sports section. "Tell you what?"

"Tell me that you have feelings for Eve and the mere thought of her with another man is killing you."

"I beg your pardon?!" He dropped the paper to the table and turned to face her fully.

"Mr Barnham, I know you! You should have seen the look on your face when you found out she'd met someone else! Why don't you just talk to her about this? I swear you two never see each other anymore!"

"…Well, you may have a point. A-about how we never see each other, not about all the other stuff."

"Yes, I had noticed I never see you two together anymore. Did you have another argument?"

"No, not exactly. It's complicated, Espella. I don't expect you to understand."

"Wait…Sir Barnham, did something, erm…" She lowered her voice, despite the fact that they were alone. "Did anything happen between you and Eve?" He didn't answer, just shrugged and went to read the paper again. She swatted it out of his hands. "Something did happen! What was it? Did you tell her how you felt? Did you kiss?!"

"Well, yes…no, actually. Sort of. More like a semi-kiss."

She looked confused for a moment before shaking her head. "Oh, Sir Barnham!" She exclaimed loudly, hugging his arm and resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry! I can't imagine how hard it must be for you."

He sighed and smiled softly. She was a good kid. "Thank you for your sympathy, Espella, but really, it's not necessary. I'm fine!"

"Why can you not just tell her how you feel? At then you'll either be happy or at least get some closure!"

"No! No, I don't need closure, and I certainly don't need to tell her how I feel!"

Espella suddenly grinned. "So you admit it?" _Damn._ "Look, even if you're not ready to confess to her, you can't avoid her forever. You share an office for goodness sake!" She sat up straight, releasing his arm. "Promise me you'll talk to her."

"Espella-"

"Promise me."

"Okay, fine. I promise. I'll talk to her tomorrow, as soon I feel better."

She shook her head. "Nope. You go upstairs, get dressed, get some coffee in you and go and talk to Eve."

"…Fine. Give me thirty minutes. I'll talk to her, but I'm not promising anything more than that."

Espella grinned again, hugging him tightly. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Espella. I gotta go clean up? So I can see your friend?"

"Right, yeah. Of course." She let him stand, and he went to climb the stairs. "Sir Barnham?"

Zacharias turned. "Yes Espella?"

She smiled. "Good luck." He hesitated and grinned, running up the stairs to get ready. Today may be the day he would confess to the woman he loved. And he was goddamn terrified.


	3. Day Off

Any other day, Eve would never fail to be at work at seven-thirty, and not a second later. This morning at seven-thirty, she was barely even awake. Her sheets were damp from tears and her eyes were bleary and red, the early morning sun seeping in from a crack in the curtain, bathing her room in a warm orange glow. She slowly padded across the room, throwing open the curtains and gazing out. It was a beautiful day, though she couldn't find much joy in it. The poor woman was miserable.

There was no way she could go to the office today. There wasn't much of a chance that _he_ would be there, especially judging by the amount he'd had to drink last night, though her parents always told her it was better to be safe than sorry. Moving away from the window, she peeled yesterday's clothes from her body, getting washed and dressed quickly before moving downstairs and making herself busy. She cleaned the kitchen, the bathrooms, the living room, the dining room, even trimming the overgrown hedge by the front door. When she finally ran out of things to clean, she moved to her bookshelf, picking one at random and curling up on the couch, doing her best to occupy her mind before her sadness had a chance to settle.

She was only halfway through the novel before a rapping on the door interrupted her. Glancing up at the grandfather clock on the far wall, she was shocked to realise it was past noon. She'd lost track of time. She got up to go to the door, peering through the peephole and exhaling in relief when saw the top of a blonde head. Turning the key in the lock, the door clicked open, and she was instantly greeted with an angry scowl from her young friend.

"What on earth are you doing here Eve?!" Espella exclaimed irritably, walking into the threshold of her home without being invited. "Mr Barnham said you weren't in the office! Aren't you supposed to be at work in about…four hours ago?"

"Well why don't you just come in then?" Eve shook her head and locked the door behind her, moving to regain her place where she'd been sitting, letting Espella plonk down next to her. "If you must know, I haven't been feeling well lately. I felt I should take it easy."

"But I thought you loved work! You always go, every day! For goodness sake, we had to drag you out of that office on Christmas!"

"Espella, I'm really not well. In fact you should probably get back to the bakery before you catch it too."

"I'll be happy to leave! Just as soon as you explain to me why you're so intent on staying home!"

"And I'll be happy to leave just as soon as you explain why you're so intent on making me go!" That was a lie. She couldn't be paid to go to work today.

"You don't understand, Eve, you have to be at work today!"

"And why is that?!" She was getting frustrated now.

"Because Sir Barnham's going to be there today!"

Eve felt a twinge of grief grow behind her eyes as she heard the name, remembering the events of the previous night… She cleared her throat, not quite meeting her friend's eye. "What's your point? We do share the office. It shouldn't a shock that he's there."

Espella faltered slightly, looking like she had something to say but didn't quite know how to go about saying it. "Listen Eve, I spoke to him this morning, and he told me that you two, erm… Well something clearly happened with you two, and whatever it was, you have to talk about it!"

"Espella, please I'm not in the mood."

"Why don't you want to go to work, Eve? Why are you avoiding him?"

"I am not avoiding him!" She exclaimed. She needed to tell her the truth and she knew it. "I'm just…I'm upset, okay?" Espella raised her eyebrows expectantly. Eve sighed. "I was passing Rouge's late last night, and I happened to look in the window and…remember when I told you there was a man? That I liked?"

"What about him?"

"Well he was there, and he'd obviously had a few drinks and…there was this girl."

"And what happened?"

"They kissed."

Espella arched a brow, nodding slowly as she thought. "…This man you like…he was drinking a lot? He was drunk? Probably feeling it in the morning?"

"I-I suppose so. Why do you ask?" Espella's face lit up, as if a penny had dropped, like she suddenly had clarification, and she smiled a big smile. "What are you looking so happy about?"

"Oh! Nothing, nothing at all. So…who was this girl?"

"She's the blonde. The racy one who guards the bell tower sometimes."

"Miss Foxy?" Espella burst out laughing. "Well you don't need to worry about her! She's hardly his type of girl! O-or, at least, as I don't know this man, I shouldn't _think_ that she was his type of girl."

Eve sighed, too caught up in her thoughts to notice what her friend was saying. "I don't even know why I'm bothered. I'm not bothered! They were just drunk and fooling around, and after all it was just a kiss." Then she stopped. "At least I think it was just a kiss. Christ, I have no idea! I left right after I saw them, what if…what if they…?"

"Oh come on, I really don't think they did _that._ I'm sure it was just the one kiss."

"But what if 'just one kiss' let to another 'just one kiss'? What if she dragged him all the way to his place and fell into his bed and-"

"Eve, calm down! Please! …Listen, if you really feel this strongly about Mr Barnham, why don't you just tell him how you feel?"

"Oh come on Espella, you know I can't do that! He'll just laugh at me, and anyway we worked together for so long that-that we…erm…" Well. She'd certainly put her foot in it now.

Her friend grinned and clapped her hands, grabbing Eve and hugging her so tight she swore she broke a rib or two. "I knew it! I knew there was something between you two! Aw, Eve! I'm so happy for you! Everyone says you'd make a great couple, and I always agreed with them all but I never thought it would actually happen because I didn't think he was your type, and I told Auntie that and she just laughed and said a man that looks like him is any girl's type and I thought she was joking but she was right, and now-"

"Espella Cantabella, you're going to hurt yourself in a moment!"

"Go to the office!" She exclaimed. "Please, you have to go to the office _now_!"

"No!"

"But why?!" Espella all but shouted. "Nothing happened between him and Foxy, at least nothing serious! Auntie and I would have noticed if she'd spent the night!"

"I don't want to see him! I'm angry with him!"

"Eve, don't you love him?" Eve felt her eyebrows shoot up, her mouth falling open. "Okay, never mind love, but you haven't spoken in days! Don't you at least miss him?"

The older women leant back and sighed, closing her eyes. She still remembered the brief sensation of his lips brushing her's and the warmth of his body against her and the unfocused look of desperate desire and anticipation in his eyes as she refused to let him kiss her. All she'd wanted to do was let him, to let him have what he, what they _both_ so urgently wanted. She had seen him around town occasionally, but had tried to keep her distance, ignoring how much she wanted to go and talk to him, to feel his arms around her again.

"…I miss him."

Espella widened her eyes, as if to say 'Obviously!', before gripping her friend's shoulders. "You're my best friend Eve. I love you to death, and so as your best friend, it's my duty to tell you this, and it's your duty to listen to me."

"What is it?"

"I need to tell you, from the bottom of my heart, that you two morons need to stop being so damn stubborn and just let yourselves be happy! For goodness sake, after all the terrible stuff you've been through, after whatever terrible stuff he'sbeen through in his past life to get to Labyrinthia, don't you think you deserve each other?" Eve kept her gaze fixed on the ground. "Now the project has ended, can you see what he and the other townspeople are going through? He's having to deal with memories and emotions and you and I can't even begin to imagine how awful that must feel."

"He doesn't seem to be suffering much," Eve mumbled.

"And yet you still know that he is." Espella released her grip on her shoulders and held her hands instead. "He needs someone to keep him on the right track, you know? Keep him sane. And even if you don't want to say you love him yet…he definitely loves you, and I know you love him back." Eve swallowed and took a shaky breath.

"I need to talk to him, don't I?"

"You're just getting that _now_?" She laughed and jumped off the couch, helping Eve up after her. They linked arms and started to walk through the forest into town. It was warm today, and the bridge was beautiful as they crossed it, the river babbling peacefully beneath them. Most of the Shades had either left the city or chosen to go live in there, but the few that remained smiled and waved as they passed. Espella returned their smiles and Eve nodded, the latter too caught up in her thoughts to talk anyone before she got to the courthouse. Her friend knew this. And she still tried to start a conversation.

"What are you going to say?"

"I don't know," she lied.

"We both know that not true." Espella said. "Come on, practise a little. Just imagine I'm him."

"Don't be ridiculous, Espella."

"I'm not! Just role play with me, okay? Look." She pulled her braids free and put the ties in her pocket, holding her hair so it stuck up in spikes, narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips in an imitation of his scowl. "What do you want to tell me?" She spoke in a lower, more refined tone, and Eve couldn't help but laugh.

"Zacharias, did you change your hair colour? I never saw you as a blonde!"

"Miss Eve, be serious!" She continued to imitate him. "What do you want to tell the real, red-headed version of me?"

"Sorry, sorry. I'll play along." She cleared her throat. "I'm…angry."

"At me?"

"Yes." She sighed. "I-I know you were drunk, and we're not actually in an official relationship, but after what happened, after what we did, I thought- I don't know, I thought you could restrain yourself from stuffing your tongue down other girl's throats! Especially that girl! I know how girls like that think. Men are all over them, and they use that to their advantage and abuse it!"

'Zacharias' tilted his head. "What are you saying, Eve?"

"I'm saying that she doesn't care about you! She doesn't care about you at all, at least not anything like I do."

"If you care about me that much, why haven't you said anything until now?"

She shook her head. "I suppose I was scared. I wasn't ready for a relationship, much less with you."

"Why not with me? I'm intelligent, I'm fit and healthy, I'm not too bad looking... Are you not attracted to me?"

"That's not it, Zacharias, and you know it!" She raised her voice slightly. "Of course I'm attracted to you, if I wasn't I wouldn't be in this situation!"

"What situation are you referring to?"

"The situation in which you've broken down every one of my defences against you, and just waltzed right through the walls I worked so damn hard to build up, and manifested yourself in my brain! How am I expected to not miss you when I see you everywhere?! When I can't keep you out of my mind for more than five minutes, and even when you're nowhere near me, I swear I can still hear your running commentary over everything and everyone else?!" Taking a deep breath, she gathered her thoughts. "I don't know how and I don't know when, but now… I fell in love with you, Zacharias Barnham, and I fell so hard and so fast I never had a chance to stop myself, even if I'd wanted to."

There was a moment of silence before she heard a hushed, "Did you want to stop?"

"…no. Not for a second. I mean, I can't sleep and I can't focus, and it _hurts_. Dear God, it hurts so damn much, but I have no regrets." She looked up to meet 'his' eyes. "I don't want to be alone anymore, Zach. I want to be with you. I want you to want to be with me. Please."

Then Zacharias vanished and Espella stood in his place, looking stunned for a moment before smiling and stopping in her tracks. "We're here."

Eve blinked at looked up. Sure enough, the courthouse towered over her. The journey was shorter than she'd remembered. "And he's still in the office?"

"He should be."

"So what am I supposed to do then? W-what do I even say to the _real_ him? Where do I start?"

"Just tell him exactly what you told me. You'll be fine." She smiled. "Tell me how it goes, yeah? I'll be at the bakery all day."

"Okay, okay." Eve took a deep breath, and nodded, before disappearing into the courthouse, leaving her hopeful friend behind her.

* * *

 **Ah, my reluctant otp. Truly a gift to humanity. Sorry this chapter was shorter than the others. Blame finals.  
**


	4. A Little Bit of Drama

Oh dear God this was torture.

Barnham sat alone in the office, twiddling the quill between three fingers, bouncing his leg as he fidgeted in his chair. There was not a chance he could get any work done today, not with him being so tense, and the edge of a hangover stabbing behind his eyes. He'd practically been force-fed coffee by Espella to sober him up, but the caffeine just made him jittery and the headache still refused to disperse. So many things were keeping him on edge, the unfinished work, the caffeine, the minute remaining buzz from last night, and Eve, Jesus Christ _Eve_ ….

He still had no idea what to call this feeling… Desire? No, that wasn't it. This feeling went so much deeper than mere desire. In fact he doubted he'd ever wanted anything, or rather anyone, this much. He wanted her badly. It wasn't even _sex_. It was more than that. He wanted to touch her, not sexually- well not _just_ sexually, but with knowledge. He wanted to remember her body, every curve, every crease, every mark and scar and scratch and hair, touching every inch of her skin freely. The thought of it made his blood rise and heart thud and his entire body shiver and sweat. He hated it, and yet he found himself adoring the feeling.

The door creaked and made him jump, his head snapping towards the source of the noise, quickly rising to his feet to greet the guest. It was Eve. And she was beautiful. Why oh why did she have to be so beautiful? They locked eyes for a moment, and he smiled hopefully. Her eyes were full of emotion, more than emotion even, and then it vanished and her face turned cold. All emotion left her, and she bore the same stony expression that Darklaw always seemed to wear. Barnham felt his face drop, and she broke her gaze, moving to sit at her desk, and picked up her own quill without a word. _She's angry_ , he realised grimly. It must have been about the incident a few days ago. Although he had apologised, and she had accepted it, and after all it was her that had tempted him on purpose. That wasn't it.

So what else had he done? Did he insult her unknowingly? Was it about his paperwork? "We need to talk," he finally said matter-of-factly, breaking the icy silence. Eve lifted her head slowly, as if it was heavy.

"I have nothing to say to you." He was almost alarmed by the intensity of her voice, and her cold stare faltered when his eyes widened. "No, that's not true. I'm sorry, that's not true at all." Then the Darklaw face shot right back up. "Hold on no! Why am I apologising? You should be apologising to me!"

"For what?" His voice rose a little. "What on earth did I do that was so awful? I thought you weren't angry about…" he trailed off. "A-about what happened."

"I'm not! Who exactly do you take me for?" Despite the harshness in her tone, he couldn't help but feel I twinge of joy at her copying his phrases.

"Then what did I do?!"

"You have no idea do you Zacharias Barnham?" She got to her feet as well, her eyes only level with his chest even in high heels. "You really think you can run all over town kissing as many women as you like?! What are you, some kind of playboy?!"

"Miss Eve, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I'm talking about Foxy!"

 _Foxy_? He chuckled. "Is this because Foxy _flirts_ with me?! She flirts with everyone Eve!"

"Does she go around kissing everyone too?!"

Now that took him by surprise. "Kiss?"

"You kissed her! I saw you two yesterday in the tavern! You were all over each other!" She folded her arms. "I think you both need to learn how to handle your ale." Eve spat, tilting her hips and sticking out her chin. Every part of her was unsympathetic and emotionless, yet her eyes gave her away, all glassy and swimming and almost on the verge of tears. He paused as blurry memories came back to him. There was music and drinks and dancing (since when did he dance?!) and a blonde girl with shiny lips in his shirt…It could have easily been Foxy. She wasn't lying.

He moved closer to her, striding forward so they stood just a few feet apart. She shifted, but didn't back away, her eyes burning now with…something... "I was drunk, Miss Eve. I had drunk more than my measure and I was foolish and I was not thinking straight." He dipped his head no emphasise his words. "Can you forgive me?" She faltered, picking at her nails as she formulated a response, and gasped when he took her hand in both his own. "I cannot express how sorry I am to have hurt you. Please, Miss Eve, can you forgive me?"

They locked eyes again, her jade irises shining and her pupils' dilated. He felt her pulse racing beneath his fingers, seeing her neck bob as she swallowed, and finally realised. Her eyes were alight, and searing, and _burning_ with passion. The understanding fell upon him, and he felt his own pulse start to match her own as he began to fully comprehend her feelings. She tempted him to kiss her because she wanted him to. She was angry at him for kissing Foxy because she was jealous, and she was jealous because…because she wanted him for herself.

"Um..." she seemed oblivious to his sudden epiphany, and continued to speak. "Zacharias, I erm…I-I…" She trailed off as he leant closer, as close as he was three nights ago, closer even. She swallowed again as her eyes darted to his lips, then to his collarbone, and then slowly, they slid shut. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, her breathing becoming heavy and staggered, pressing herself flush to him.

"…I have your permission, don't I?" He mumbled, just as breathless as her. She smirked and nodded, the movements slight and half-hearted, as if such simple functions were beyond her right now. His fingers moved up, brushing her neck, and she shivered under his touch. He took that to be good thing. Cupping her chin, he brought her face closer to his, savouring the moment, giving her time. She wasn't having any of that.

Standing on her toes, Eve brought his lips down to her's, gasping as he kissed her back with equal vigour, winding his arms around her back, pressing her to him until there wasn't an ounce of space between them. The world around them was stagnant and peaceful, and yet there was a storm going on in Eve's mind. Her head spun, her legs felt weak and she surely would have fallen if Zacharias wasn't supporting her.

He changed his technique a little, gently pushing her against the wall beside her painting, his mouth falling open. She gasped with ecstasy as his tongue brushed her's, and he pulled away, shocked, even as she begged him to continue. He grinned and obliged, burying his face in her neck this time. He sent quick, almost chaste kisses down her throat, feeling vibrations against his lips as she hummed in pleasure, arching her back and tilting her head to give him better access and tangling her fingers in his hair, tugging slightly on the thick strands and grinning when he groaned quietly in approval. He tutted and parted his lips once more, this time grazing his teeth over her, before skating his tongue along her collarbone and tasting her skin. Eve pressed her lips together, holding her breath against the moans she felt rising from her throat.

"Z-Zacharias," she mumbled, her voice so hushed and breathy he hardly recognised it.

"Hm?"

"W-we're- ah!" She cried out as his hand briefly brushed the side of her breast, pressing a hand over her mouth as she struggled to keep her sounds in and her breathing in check. "W-We're in an office, Zacharias, t-this isn't…it's not-" He cut her off by moving her hand and pressing his lips to her's, smiling slightly as she sighed. "What if someone comes in?"

"Well we'd better be quiet then, hadn't we?" He said in a low tone, his voice husky and winded, sending shivers of yearning down Eve's spine. Her world lurched as she was lifted off her feet and onto her desk, pulling him closer to her so their bodies grinded together, her fingers clutching onto him and digging her nails into his back. He moaned again as she kissed his jaw, snaking his arms around her waist and tugging at the ties that held her dress closed. She twisted around to help him with the tight knots, slipping the garment from her shoulders and watching as he brought his hands up, peeling the dress from her chest and pulling it down to her navel, exposing her entire torso.

Dipping his head, he brushed his lips down her chest, between her breasts, and her head fell back as she panted. She moved forward, only to unbutton his shirt and push it off with one swift movement, running her hands along his chiselled torso and unbuckling his belt and fly. He never strayed more than an inch under her brassiere, but the feeling of his mouth against her chest, the implications behind it, the fact she could feel a certain part of him growing harder and rubbing dangerously close to a certain part of her-

"Sorry to interrupt, Eve, but do you…" Eve twisted her head around and exclaimed when she saw a bewildered Espella standing in the doorway.

"Espella! Have you never heard of knocking?!" She pulled up her dress to cover herself while Zacharias cursed and hurriedly yanked his pants up, re-zipping his fly, stuffing his hands in his pockets to conceal his length.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't-well I never thought that you two would be erm…"

"I thought I had that door locked!" Zacharias spoke up. "For goodness sake Espella, haven't me and Patty had this conversation with you?! You can't just barge in wherever you like without knocking!"

"Well, I know but-"

"This is ridiculous." He bent over to pick up his shirt and pulled it on quickly. "I'm going to train for a while. Eve, we'll erm…" He moved to whisper in her ear. " _We'll finish this later_."

She nodded and smiled as he straightened up, buttoning his shirt as he kissed her goodbye before darting out of the door and dodging around Espella.

"Eve, I am so sorry!" She spoke up when he'd left. "I had no idea! I thought you two would just be talking!"

"We were! Espella, it was not what it looked like, I assure you!" She shifted as she tried her best to fix her dress behind her back.

"Can you offer me another explanation as to why neither of you were wearing shirts? Not to mention Sir Barnham's trousers were practically halfway down his thighs."

"We were decent!" She flushed as she finally did her dress up, adjusting her bra as she picked up everything that had been upset on the desk in their spontaneous dalliance.

"Oh please, both of you had your underwear on display, and he had his face buried in your, erm…" she motioned to her chest. "You know, I always read about men doing that to women in stories, but I didn't think it actually happened in real life." Her friend leaned against the desk beside Eve. "What was it like?"

"E-Espella, I really don't think Zacharias would appreciate-"

"Oh come on! I won't say anything to him. Promise?"

Eve sighed. "It was…nice. Oh I don't know, I feel…" She spent a moment searching for the right word. "Different. I feel all light and stupid and giddy, like a gust of wind would blow me of the face of the earth." She chuckled. "This must be how he feels all the time…All goofy and childlike and excitable."

* * *

"And despite all his flaws, you wouldn't change a damn thing." Mrs Éclair said later at the bakery. Espella had dragged Eve all the way there when she'd told her how she felt about everything, ordering her to repeat those exact words to her auntie.

"Doesn't it just sound straight out of a love story?!" The blonde squealed.

"It's romantic, I'll give you that. Bit of an odd love story though," the older women chuckled as she worked the dough in her hands. "'Once upon a time, there was a terrifying High Inquisitor, who was always angry and fighting with her handsome, young subordinate, but after a decade, finally did some apparently very adult things on her desk beside the Lady Justice statue'."

"We did not!" Eve objected, sending an angry glare in Espella's direction, who widened her eyes.

"What? You never said it was a secret!"

"I thought that it would go without saying!"

"Oh, not under my roof, sweetheart," Patty said with smile. "I'm going to have to get a lock installed on Zacharias' door if you plan to be staying nights here."

Eve flushed pink. "Mrs Éclair, I-"

"SIIIIIIIIIIIIIR!" The three women winced as the shrill voice rang out through the bakery. Lettie Mailer stood in the threshold, a friendly smile plastered on her face and a hand holding a few letters in the air. "Delivery for Patty Éclair!" She exclaimed enthusiastically. "Ah, Lady Darklaw! Since you're here, I may as well give you these!" The short woman handed Patty her mail, before delving her hand in her bag and retrieving another two letters, one large, one small. "One of those is a telegram from Sir Barnham! He gave me instructions to get it to you as quickly as I could, so it must be important!" She thrusted the letters into Eve's hands, before dashing out of the door again.

Mrs Éclair hummed under her breath and tossed the letters onto the side, turning to Espella. "Moving on from Eve's, is your love life going anywhere soon Espella?" Eve quickly lost interest in the conversation as her friend's aunt launched into a lecture about healthy relationships and waiting until she was older, so she turned her attention to the message from Zacharias.

 _Eve,_

 _I must apologise for how we were interrupted earlier. It was my fault for not double checking that the door was secure. If it's convenient, please meet me at the forest entrance at five. I assure you, it is of grave importance._

 _Yours,_

 _Zacharias Barnham_

Eve felt herself frown. The words 'grave importance' didn't sound too good to her. She moved on to the next letter, in a white envelope. It was thick, but not heavy. Sliding her fingers under the seal, she opened the envelope. Its contents spilled into her hands, and she gasped.

They were photographs. New, fresh photographs. She could still smell printer ink on them. Some were blurry, some were taken in poor lighting, but they all showed the same thing clearly. They were of her and Zacharias. Zacharias kissing her, pushing her against the wall, kissing her neck, pressing against her, putting her on the desk, undressing her, her undressing him-

She hurriedly stuffed the photos back into the envelope, sprinting to the front door and leaning out. "Letty!" She shouted. "Letty, come back!" But she knew the mailer was long gone. Eve sagged against the door frame, ignoring Espella firing confused questions at her. She felt sick again. If _she'd_ gotten these photos… now Zacharias' message all made sense. He must have gotten them too. Letty must have given him the same package, he'd have seen what was inside, and quickly scrawled out a warning for her.

That all made sense. But one thing didn't. One thing repeated itself in Eve's mind over and over again. Who the hell took these photos? Who else had them?

And what were they going to do next?


	5. Ready

"What do you think happened?" Eve and Zacharias wandered through the town centre, headed nowhere in particular. They walked side by side, staring straight ahead, pretending they weren't talking to protect themselves from prying eyes. "Did they sneak into the office and hide somewhere without us noticing? Where did they even get the camera?"

Barnham shrugged in response, those sharp irises flitting over the crowds, as if the culprit could possibly be hiding among them. "At this point, your guess is as good as mine, Eve. Though I still don't understand why they would hide, in a private office to take photographs of us. I mean, they couldn't have even known we would be doing…doing _that_." He raised the plastic bottle he was holding to his lips, taking a long drink. There wasn't a chance Eve could have waited until the time he'd asked to meet, so she'd gone to interrupt his training session at the garrison, meaning he'd not had any opportunity to shower or change. His shirt was damp with perspiration, clinging to his torso and becoming slightly transparent. His face and arms were coated with a sheen of sweat too, and she couldn't help but stare at him, taking in the glistening skin, the shape of his jawline, the muscular chest with chiselled abs, reliving the memory of touching him and feeling the burning need in her lower stomach to do it again.

"But back to your other point," he continued, dragging her from her daydream. "The tourists all have cameras. It's entirely possible they were just fans."

"If it was just a fan or a tourist they would have taken more pictures than just ones of us in a – a compromising situation." Eve objected. "They either stole or borrowed the camera from a tourist."

"But why?" He looked frustrated. "How did we not see them? God, I knew I should have double checked the door was locked."

"No, Zacharias, you couldn't have. The door had to be open for me to get in, and once I was in, we started talking and you just never got the chance to lock it."

"You told me it was risky, and I didn't listen!" Barnham continued to blame himself, lowering his voice a little when he noticed a group of teenagers staring, nudging each other and sniggering among themselves. He knew they were talking about them, and he paid them no mind. It wasn't like he was completely oblivious to the townspeople's most recent subject of gossip.

"Well I didn't exactly press that hard to make you stop and check did I? I think it's safe to assume we're both at fault here." Her mind still wandered, though not about Zacharias' rugged appearance anymore. If they hadn't been interrupted by Espella, would they have stopped at all? Would they have actually…? Eve didn't even want to think about it. After all, it wasn't like she'd ever done anything like that. Had Zacharias not either?

It was relief they were stopped, she decided. Doing it completely was a big deal, and an important commitment to make to someone. They needed to talk about it first. About their past experiences (or in her case lack of experiences), about being careful, being ready, their health and wellbeing, safety- god, she hadn't even considered safety! It was like there were many places in Labyrinthia that sold protection, and she recoiled at the idea of buying them in person, though the thought of people seeing him buying them would almost be worse…

"Are you okay?" She snapped her head up. "You seem distant."

"No, I'm fine, totally. I-I'm just…it's creepy, you know? Someone was there the whole time, listening to our conversation, and watching what we were doing, taking pictures…" Eve shook her head. "Those pictures were taken when we were private. We were at our most vulnerable with each other, doing something only each other should be able to see, and someone was _there_."

"I know." He nodded in agreement. "But just so this is clear, it's my fault."

"It's _both_ of our faults."

"Okay, shall me say it's like, seventy percent my fault then?"

"Let's go down to sixty."

"Deal," he stifled a laugh as they turned a corner. They'd somehow managed to go all the way around town, and were almost back at the garrison. They leaned against the wall beside it, and Eve sighed. "Listen, Zacharias, do you think we could talk for a second?"

"We've been talking for a great number of seconds," he remarked, sliding down the wall until he was sat on the grass. He patted the spot next to him, and she sat down, crossing her legs and clearing her throat. "So, what's on your mind, Lady Darklaw?" He smiled and she smirked, shaking her head.

"I just thought we should talk about, erm…" She started again. "Do you think, if we hadn't been interrupted by Espella, we'd have…?" Eve didn't finish her sentence, but he understood all the same.

"…I don't know. Maybe." He suddenly looked concerned. "I'm sorry, did I push too far? Because if I did anything that made you uncomfortable, or-or did anything you didn't want me to –"

She shook her head rapidly. "No! No, that's not what I mean! I…" she felt her face grow warm as her cheeks flushed. "…I wanted you. I wanted everything that you did, you didn't force me to do anything, I swear. I just meant that if we do plan to finish what we started, we need to talk about it."

"Oh." Barnham looked relieved, then confused, then slightly surprised. "Oh! Yes, yes of course. Now?"

Eve shrugged. "Why not now? We're not busy, right? No one's around, we're totally alone." _You thought you were alone before_ , a little voice in her mind said, but she ignored it.

"O-Okay." He motioned to her. "Well, you'd better start. I have no idea how these things go."

She paused, and came out with the first question she'd asked herself. "Are you a…" She didn't want to say the next word, but again, he understood.

"I haven't in Labyrinthia," he said plainly.

"What do mean 'in Labyrinthia'? What about before Labyrinthia?"

"Well, I've erm- yes."

"Yes you haven't done it, or yes you have done it?"

He sighed. "I'm not a virgin, Eve." He closed his eyes as he spoke, shifting where he sat against the wall. "I don't remember everything from back then, but I get these dreams…" he corrected himself swiftly. "Nightmares may be a more accurate term."

"Nightmares?"

"Yes. I usually can't remember much of them once I wake up, but… there was this building with big windows, and lots of children, and this tall, blonde lady, and… there was this girl. I was young, really young. Fourteen maybe, fifteen, but I keep getting this dream where we're in this tiny little room, and it's pretty dark, but I could tell she was there. And she was definitely naked, and so was I, and we were…you know…" He coughed awkwardly. "So, I guess I must have at some point. That's one of the less terrifying dreams."

Eve didn't know what to say. I mean, it wasn't like she'd expected him to be the same as her… That wasn't true. In fact, she'd been adamant that neither of them would have had any experience. And who was this girl anyway?! Why was she so special?!

"But at least this way you know I won't hurt you!" He exclaimed when he saw the look on her face. "I'll know what I'm doing. I'll know how to be careful. It might even be better this way." He leaned closer to her and their eyes locked. "…I don't want to hurt you, Eve. I want it to be special. Everyone's first time should be special."

"Was yours?" She joked, and he chuckled.

"Not particularly…" He sat up straighter, resting his chin on his hand. "Anything else?"

"Well, what about safety?"

Barnham frowned slightly. "You mean birth control?"

"Not just that. There's the threat of infections, and STDs, and all that kind of stuff. We can't exactly buy them here can we?"

"I think the only person I know that has any kind of protection is Rouge. She keeps them under the bar and gives them to anyone leaving with someone they just met."

"Where does she get them?"

"Search me!" Barnham raised his hands above his head in defence. "I'm the only person who can drive the boat to the mainland, and I keep the keys in a locked drawer ever since I found Espella playing with the motor. Anyway, that doesn't matter. It's not like I could go up to her and just ask for one, that would be suicide. We'll take a trip to the mainland this weekend, and we'll get everything we need then."

Oh. That was easier than she'd thought.

"Listen, Eve, if you're panicking this much, then you're clearly not ready yet."

"I am ready!"

"There's no rush to be. We can wait as long as you need."

"I know, but… don't you want to do it? With me, I mean."

Zacharias' eyebrows shot up. "Well that's a trick question if I've ever heard one!"

"Zacharias, please be serious about this." He stopped smiling and coughed.

"Right. Sorry." He considered the question again. "…Yes. I do want to." He shifted again and took a shaky breath, distancing himself from her. "I really, really do want to, but only if you do too." He paused again. "Do you want to?"

Eve blushed, and was about to scald him before she realised how ridiculous that would be. She'd asked him, why was it so wrong for him to ask her? She thought for a moment about her answer, considering everything that had happened in the past few days. It was hard to believe this had all happened in only a few days really. She did love kissing him, and touching him, and she knew how she'd felt with his hands on her body.

"Zacharias…this morning…if Espella hadn't walked in, and if you hadn't left right away, I sure as hell couldn't have stopped." She swallowed thickly, refusing to meet his eye. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to restrain myself around you?" She whispered close to his ear, and he shuddered, breathing becoming laboured, and she swore she could hear his heart thudding in his chest.

"I think I may have an idea of how you feel." He wet his lips and stood quickly, wiping his palms on his pants. "Look, we shouldn't do this here." He offered her a hand up, and she noticed how sweaty her own palms were, wiping them quickly before taking his hand and hoisting herself up with his help. "I think I'll train a little more. You'd better be heading home. Would you like me to walk you?"

Eve knew his intentions were completely innocent. A simple walk home. To her house. Maybe it would lead to her inviting him in, and taking him upstairs, and –

"No, thank you. I can walk myself fine."

Barnham nodded and smiled. "Okay, well…goodbye, Eve." He leaned down, pressing his lips against hers' briefly. Well, he had intended it to be brief, but when he moved to break the kiss, she moved faster, putting a hand behind his head and deepening the kiss. He groaned and pulled her closer, until there wasn't an inch between them, running his hands over her breasts, then her hips, caressing every part of her, practically worshipping her, and though she still didn't think she deserved him, she could help but love how delicious this felt, moaning in approval. Screw restraining herself. She wanted him. She was _ready_.

She moved from his lips to his jaw, coating his throat with passionate kisses, her tongue darting out, tasting his skin. She heard him curse, breathing heavily, clutching her and burying his face in her neck as he made barely audible sounds of pleasure. "I told you I was ready," she purred, and he growled softly, nipping her earlobe and chuckling when she cried out, moaning into the place where his shoulder and neck connected. He sucked at her neck, teeth grazing her skin, delivering a hot, deep kiss on her pulse point. Eve trembled, biting her lip and clutching at his shirt. " _Zacharias_ …" she moaned his name quietly, and gasped in shock when he suddenly pulled away, distancing himself from her again.

"Eve, erm… we shouldn't…we're in public."

"And you're just stopping now?" She smoothed over her hair, making sure it hadn't become too messy.

"I think it's best that we remain in control for the time being." Barnham clarified. "And when you say my name like… _that_ …" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I wasn't sure I would be able to stop myself."

Eve just hummed under her breath. "See you tomorrow." She moved closer to him again, squeezing his hand, and standing on her toes to whisper to him. "… _Zacharias_." She spoke in the same tone she'd used before, and he tensed suddenly, making a small sound from his throat. Eve smiled, noting how her shyness magically vanished whenever she was around him, and he smiled back, shaking his head.

"You're a sadist, Eve Belduke."

"Don't be ridiculous," she said simply, and left him alone to walk back though the forest.

Barnham watched her till she was out of sight, then sighed loudly. He felt like a knot pulled taut without release. The garrison was still open, so he spent a while there, taking out his frustration on punching bags and sparring with other knights. After about two hours, a break was much needed, and he sat on the back of a stationary parade float, sharpening a dagger that had recently become blunt.

A group of younger knights sat on another float across the training area, all bent over a magazine, laughing and pointing at the pages. Judging by the cover, Barnham could only imagine the nature of the pictures they were looking at, and shook his head. He had long outgrown those kind of magazines, and hadn't purchased one since he was a teenager, though he'd be lying if he said he'd never noticed one or two particular pictures while passing by the group.

Barnham stood and inspected the dagger. It was sharp. Very sharp. He may as well test it. Raising a steady arm, the leaned back and threw the dagger in the boys' direction. It held true, making a satisfying thud as it hit the part of the float just above them. Their chatter immediately ceased, and the one holding the magazine hid it behind his back as they all gawked at the man who threw it.

"I think that's enough for today, don't you?" He called, folding his arms. "You can fantasize in your own time. This area is for training only. Understood?"

There was a mumbled 'Yes Sir Barnham' from every boy, as they stared at the floor in shame. Zacharias nodded in approval, and left the go back to the bakery for dinner. Had he left a second later, he surely would have seen the boys exclaim as they turned the page, all turning to look at his back, laughing and whooping and whistling as they snatched the magazine from each other, all wanting to catch a glimpse at the photograph that had been wedged between the pages.


	6. Breakthrough

"So what is it you need my help with?" Rouge poured herself a glass of water. The tavern was free of patrons for once, as she closed early on Sundays. Only those with drinking problems or marital problems drank on Sunday nights anyway, so it wasn't much of a big issue with her regulars. Tonight though, it seemed to especially work in their favour.

Barnham clicked his teeth and rocked on his stool where he sat at the bar. He was tired and it was late and all he wanted to do was go to bed, but this was important. "You stopped by the courthouse a few days ago right? I think I saw you there?."

"What about it?"

"Why were you there?"

Rouge gave a short laugh. "Well, I was stopping by to ask if you wanted to hang out later but you and Sexy Cat Lady were too busy chewing on each other's faces! I saw you guys through the keyhole, and talking was clearly off the table as your tongue was otherwise occupied, so I just left you guys to it."

"Oh for god's - Sexy Cat Lady?!"

"Some guys here come up with little nicknames for a few people they don't particularly like. You want to hear them?"

"No! Absolutely not!" He hesitated. "What's mine?"

"Oh you've got loads. We've practically got a collection for you. Sex on Legs, Ginger Ale, Easy Bake Oven…"

"Okay that's just rude!"

"I thought you didn't want to know?" She laughed again, shaking her head. "Anyway, you don't have to worry. I'm not going to tell them about you and Darklaw. I mean it's not like they don't already know." Rouge said with a smirk. "You two are so obvious." There was pause. "Why do you need to know who was at the courthouse that day?"

Barnham hesitated again, considering his options. There wasn't any harm in her knowing, was there? This was Rouge. He trusted Rouge. Then again, he remembered that look on Eve's face when they first met to discuss the pictures, how scared she looked. She had to take priority here.

"I can't tell you." She rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, but this is serious. Some really bad stuff is going on right now."

"Fine, fine. It's nothing personal, I get it." Rouge sipped her drink and sighed. "I didn't see anyone shifty though Zack. There were all the stage managers and a few people who do shows at the theatre, but apart from that, no one."

Barnham breathed deeply and closed his eyes. "Alright. Thanks anyway, Rouge."

She raised her glass in thanks, and took another sip. "Oh by the way, I found your tie. That blue and white one? You must have left it here a few days ago."

"Oh, thank you. I did wonder where that got to."

"Hold on," she reached under the bar, pulling out a large crate full of random objects. "It's in here somewhere…" She began the rummage through the mess, moving aside jewellery and magazines and hats and gloves and-

Barnham's breath hitched in his throat as he caught sight of what lay nestled in the corner.

"A Polaroid camera?" He asked, trying to remain calm. This was a lead.

"Huh. Weird." Rouge lifted it from the box. "I thought I left it on the shelf up there…" She motioned behind her.

"This is yours?!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah. My family sent it when they got back in touch so I could show them what Labyrinthia looked like. I don't use it much, so I put it up there for safe keeping, but it went missing a few days ago. Must have fallen down. Someone would have found it around here somewhere and put it in the crate."

Barnham stood up abruptly, hopping over the counter and snatching the camera from her. "Oi! That's mine!"

"Rouge, someone stole this camera." He explained quickly. "They snuck into the office and hid under my desk and took pictures of me and Eve kissing pretty… intensely. They sent them to us and now she's scared they'll release them to everyone, so I need to find out who did it and make them destroy the pictures before that happens."

"Jesus, Zack!" Rouge's eyebrows shot up in shock. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"The less people that know, the better. I don't want Eve getting upset." He turned the camera over in his hands, and she smiled at him.

"You really like this girl, huh?" Barnham froze for a moment, staring at his hands.

"Yes. I do." Rouge smirked and took the camera from him, glancing it over.

"Looks like they wiped it with a cloth or something. No marks whatsoever."

He sighed, and took it back from her, frowning when it stuck to his hand slightly. "Wait," he looked at it closer, noticing the translucent blob by the edge of the lens. "Some kind of glue?"

"Not just any kind," Rouge peered at the spot, narrowing her eyes. "If it was regular glue it would be dry by now, but it's still a little sticky… it's nail glue."

"Glue for acrylic nails?"

"And who is the only person in the town who wears fake nails?" Barnham's face lit up with the realisation.

"Oh my god…"

"You're welcome," Rouge winked. "And tell your girl that she only has me to thank for cracking this case."

"Well it's not over yet." He pointed out. "Why would she have done this to us? What's her motive?"

There was a pause as they both thought, before the door burst open and a small group of knights entered the tavern with a clatter, marching straight towards Barnham.

"What's going on?" He asked. "Is one of the horses loose again?"

"The horses are fine, sir." The Captain said, almost sadly. "But we are going to have to ask you to come with us."

"What are you talking about?" Rouge stepped forward. "Come with you where?"

"The dungeons."

" _What?_ " The two shouted simultaneously in shock.

"What for?" Barnham said on his own, completely stunned.

The Captain sighed. "For sexual assault."

"I beg your pardon?!"

One of the knights in the back stepped forward, handing Barnham a photograph. Eve on the desk, him kissing her throat. Dammit. "This was found by a trainee of ours. I'm sure you can understand our concern, Sir Barnham."

"This is ridiculous! You don't even have any evidence!" Rouge screeched. "She gave her consent- just ask her!"

"I'm afraid we can't be sure she wouldn't be lying for her own safety. Her statement can't be trusted." The Captain said slowly. "Let's just get this over with, yes sir?" He nodded to his superior. Barnham paused then nodded back gently. Two knights came forward and took both his arms, holding them behind his back.

"Zack, what are you doing?!" Rouge yelled after them as they escorted him out of the tavern. "You're innocent! What's wrong with you people?!"

"Rouge, I'll be fine!" Barnham called behind him to her. "I'll be out soon. Tell Eve to come talk to me, okay? Tell her I'm sorry."

"Okay, that's enough talking." One knight took Barnham's jaw, holding his head straight forward. "Unless you want to add resisting arrest to your list of offences?" He shook his head as best could, the metal from the gauntlet cold against his chin as they walked to the dungeons.

The sky was black with very few stars and the air was bitter. The courthouse wasn't far from the tavern, luckily for him, and the fact it was night helped; he didn't want people seeing him and getting the wrong idea. Although at this moment, he feared his reputation was the least of his worries.

When they arrived, he was taken down the narrow flight of stairs, all the knights leaving except the two holding him, as they couldn't all fit through the narrow space. The cell door creaked as it opened. It held a small bed and a basin and not much else. Barnham was pretty sure it was colder in here than it was outside. They nudged him forward and he walked in slowly, remembering the last time he had to do this, when Eve was forced to relieve him of his duties for the final witch trial. He could help but crack a small smile and the memory. How far they'd come since then.

The door slammed shut and was locked behind him, and then he was left alone. For a place usually filled with shouts of protest from prisoners and singing and chatter of people trying their best to stay occupied, the cell was eerily quiet. Sighing deeply, he went to sit on the bed, when he heard a familiar bark and smiled as Constantine ran in between the bars to snuggle against his leg.

"There you are, my good friend." He stroked the dog's head gently, ruffling his fur. "I seem to have gotten myself into quite the situation here. You'll stay with me won't you? Keep me company?" He barked. Barnham laughed. "Good boy." Then he thought better of it. "Actually," he whispered, taking care to ensure no one would hear them. "I need you to go on a mission for me. Can you do that?" The fluffball leapt to his feet, growling with determination. "First, go to the office. Fetch me a sheet of parchment and a quill."

Immediately, the dog sprinted in the direction of the office, returning in a few seconds with a sheet of parchment and Eve's quill sticking out of his mouth. Barnham thanked him, taking the items from him and scrawling a quick message before a guard came round to check on them. "I did ask Rouge to do this," he hissed, folding the sheet into a square. "But she's not as reliable as you." He tucked the letter into Constantine's collar. "Now listen very carefully- you have to go somewhere you've never been to before. Go through the woods. You may have to walk for a while but it gets you there, though with your short legs it may like some time." He growled at this. "I'm joking!" Barnham laughed. "Take as long as you need. Go through the Shade's village until you get to a bridge. Across that bridge is a big house surrounded by fog. I need you to get to the house, get inside, and give this letter to Eve Belduke." The dog tilted its head. "High Inquisitor Darklaw." Barnham amended. He probably gets the two Eve's confused. Constantine growled again, narrowing his eyes. "Hey! You leave her alone. She's nothing like she used to be. We like Eve now. Okay?"

He paused and nodded dutifully, then charged out of the courthouse as if there was fire on his heels. Barnham chuckled to himself and sighed, his smile quickly dissipating when he remembered where he was. It really was cold… and dark and bleak and he was locked in. He was hungry. The bed was hard and had no mattress. The sheets were paper thin. There was nothing to keep himself occupied. Espella and Patty would be wondering where he was.

So he ignored all these worries, and lay back on the hard bed with no mattress in the cold, dark room, and tried his best to get some sleep.

* * *

"Zacharias!" Eve ran to the cell, looking at him through to bars. He got to his feet and stood opposite her. At this moment, there was nothing that Eve wanted more than to hug him and squeeze his hand and tell him things would be fine. But she couldn't. The two were separated by bars.

"Eve, it was Foxy." He immediately launched into the story. "That night that I kissed her, Rouge stepped out for a minute." To talk to Eve. She remembered. "While she'd left the room, Foxy must have taken the camera from the shelf and hidden it in her bag. Everyone was either drunk, or dancing, or both, so no one would have seen her. She snuck into the office around six in the morning, before it was even open."

"How did you know that?"

"While I was walking down here, I noticed the guard standing at the office entrance had a stiletto footprint on his back. He's one of her 'fans'. She must have flirted with him to let her past." Eve nodded. "She hid under my desk where she knew I would be sitting. Not a bad place to hide- the perfect place."

"But why?" Eve frowned. This was a lot of information.

"I'm getting there!" Barnham assured her. "You know this bit. You showed up, she took the pictures, she sent them to to make us squirm, but she made a few mistakes. Her plan wasn't terribly well crafted as she came up with it on the spot, so she was bound to slip up somewhere."

"And? What did she do?"

"Her first mistake was the nail glue on the camera. That's how Rouge and I knew it was her who took it."

"Ah yes, Rouge told me that you were at the tavern with her when they arrested you."

Barnham nodded. "Anyway, her second mistake was far worse. She dropped a photograph. While she was training, one must have fallen out of her bag or something, and it found its way into a kid's magazine where they found it and gave it the the Captain, who then charged me with sexual assault, something she never planned to happen." He scoffed. "Why did they immediately charge me anyway? They have no proof it was non-consensual!"

Eve sighed. "Actually, there was some rule about workplace relationships from when we were Inquisitors, in a legally binding contract we both signed, preventing us from having an inappropriate relationship in the workplace. The contract lasts twelve years, and we signed eleven years ago, and you and I almost having sex in our place of work is the very definition of inappropriate!" She sighed. "…It's not fair."

"None of this is fair, Eve. I'm in a cell, your private life could be exposed any second. This whole situation is unfair." They both looked sad for a moment, completely lost in their own world.

"So what was her motive?" Eve asked, breaking the silence. "Did she want hush money for Mac products?"

"Nope!" Barnham grinned. "This is the best bit: her motive was love."

Eve laughed. "You are joking?"

"Foxy confessed to me about nine months ago now," he explained. "I turned her down and said I wanted to be with someone else. She didn't take it well. We saw each other around sometimes, and once I noticed her glaring at you from across the market once. She was jealous of the attention I was giving you. She thought I wanted to be with you. Of course that was true, and that fact only made matters worse.

"That night, she saw you outside the window, putting on this big show, flirting with me, touching me, all trying to scare you off, but then had a better idea. She stole the camera and hid under my desk. Not to take photos of us, but the take photos of you. She thought if she caught you doing something bad or criminal or embarrassing she could ruin your reputation and stop me from having feelings for you. When it became very clear I certainly _did_ have feelings for you, she started taking photos, and started hating me as well as you. She thought she could take us both down."

"Well your detective skills are certainly not terrible," Eve joked. "You never fail to surprise me, Zacharias."

"I aim to please," Barnham said with a smile. "Now be honest. Is everyone talking about me?"

"Not everyone… but most people are, yes. But they're on your side! The people love you, Zacharias, they'd never consider you a rapist or some kind of sexual predator." There was a pause. "Is it going to trial?"

Barnham nodded. "It's tomorrow. And now I'm hearing about that contract, I'm almost one hundred percent sure I'm in for a guilty verdict."

An idea came to Eve and she said it before she could even think. "Let me defend you." He looked at her.

"What? Come on, they wouldn't let you! You're the victim! The victim can't defend the accused!"

"You seem to be forgetting that I am the great High Inquisitor Darklaw. I can do whatever I like!" She joked

"Have you ever even done this before?! We never defended, we just attacked! We have no experience with this!"

"So? I'll pick it up. Besides, if that ridiculous blue attorney can do it, anyone can." Eve reached through the bars to grab his hand. "Let me defend you, Zacharias." He sighed and thought, before squeezing her hand and nodding quickly.

"Thank you, Eve."

"You're most welcome. Now let my hand go, will you? I have a trial to prepare for." He released her, and she waved goodbye before ascending the spiral staircase and disappearing from his sight.

* * *

 **AN: Ha-ha! Bet you thought I'd forgotten about you! What would an Ace Attorney fanfiction be without an inevitable trial? Probably have the next chapter up in a week, though have I ever done anything on time?**


	7. Turnabout Hopeful

This certainly brings back memories, Eve thought grimly.

The theatre had been restored back into a courtroom for one night only. The stands were full of civilians, all whispering among themselves. She heard her name. She heard Barnham's.

News spreads fast in a small town. Their secret was out now, and everyone knew about what happened in the office. The leaked photograph was being held as evidence so few had actually seen it, and she was grateful for that. Surprisingly, she wasn't embarrassed or mortified or unable to ever show her face in public; she was oddly at peace with the information being public. A group of young women were glaring at her. Muffet looked like she would cry. Espella looked terrified, and Patty didn't look much better. Eve ignored all of them. She had to focus.

The only difference from the courtroom during the witch trials was the fire pit. It wasn't lit, and the cage had long been taken down and locked away, so the room was mostly illuminated by torches, softly glowing in brackets covering every surface of the walls. It was unnerving to be on the wrong side of the courtroom, she noted. Then she suddenly had a thought; she hadn't checked to see who the Inquisitor for the trial would be. Raising her head, she saw that the other side of the court was empty. No one stood behind the bench.

Unexpectedly, the crowds' mutters turned to shouts, and she spun. Zacharias was there, being escorted to a wooden chair at the edge of a courtroom. There were yells of support, and yells that were less supportive. All celebrities had people who disliked them, and he was no exception. She heard the word 'rapist', and gritted her teeth. This wasn't nearly as enjoyable or as romantic as she'd anticipated. He caught her eye across the room. His eyes were scared and lonely, but he still cracked a smirk when she looked at him, mouthing "Hi." Eve nodded back, smiling sadly.

A sharp sound filled the hall, and the throngs of townspeople fell silent at the gavel being struck. The judge sat proudly in his seat above them all, hood pulled over his forehead, and cleared his throat. "The court is now in session for the trial of Zacharias Barnham, as scheduled… Though it is comfortably nostalgic to be back in the courthouse, I only wish it were under better circumstances."

There was a cry of, "We love you, Barnham!" It sounded strangely like Muffet, and the court erupted into noise again, screaming in support and chanting just like they used to. " _Barnham! Barnham! Barnham! Barnham!_ "

"Order!" The judge shouted just as loud. "Order in this court! _Order!_ " The court settled down finally, and the judge coughed. He looked exhausted already. "Now, I understand in previous trials, the defendant was never offered a chance to give their point of view. However, in this case, just for clarification, it is only fair that we ask the defendant: Are you guilty or not guilty?"

The whispering started again as Barnham was forced to stand, and walked over to the witness bench. He looked at the judge. He looked at Eve. She nodded.

He took a deep breath and raised his head. "Guilty, milord."

"What?!" Eve exclaimed, unable to stop herself. The recession reacted in kind, and even the judge looked shocked.

"Hold it!" A familiar voice behind the Inquisitor's bench spoke, and Eve turned to face the Inquisitor, curling her lip when she saw who it was.

Captain Boistrum. She wasn't even surprised. He hadn't hesitated to jump into Barnham's shoes when he'd been arrested last time; it was a well-known fact the man was bitterly jealous of him. Of course he'd leap at the opportunity to get rid of him for good. "I have a proposal, My Lord."

"Let's hear it then," The Judge stammered, still stunned.

"Seeing as the defendant has plead guilty, the inquisition would like the propose an immediate verdict."

"Objection!" Eve found her voice, shouting right from the bottom of her lungs. "A verdict this early on would be ludicrous! In order to reach a fair verdict, we must examine all evidence and listen carefully to all key witnesses. That is the only way to reach the correct decision."

"Objection sustained," The judge sided with her. "A verdict this early on is out of the question. Would the prosecution please deliver their opening statement?"

"Of course, your Honour," Boistrum looked unhappy at being rebuked. Eve smiled in satisfaction. "I would like to submit this piece of evidence to the court." He pulled out a square of parchment, and the Bailiff handed it to the judge. Oh dear god, please let that not be the photograph…

"Good Lord!" The judge exclaimed, dropping the square as if it had burnt him. He looked to Eve, then to Barnham, then back to Boistrum. "Where on earth did you find this? If you took this yourself, I'm afraid we may have to arrest you as well!"

"For obvious reasons we cannot display it to the court, but this photograph was discovered by a source who would rather remain anonymous, and it depicts our two delightful Inquisitors in a rather… _heated_ dalliance." Eve glared daggers at him from across the room, clenching her hands into fists and locking her jaw. "As of course it is strictly prohibited for these two to have any kind of romantic relationship, it is clear that Lady Darklaw was forced into this situation against her will." He gave her a look. "She couldn't have given her consent even if she wanted to. But believe me, no one is more saddened than I that our beloved Sir Barnham was in fact nought more than a sex offender."

"Yeah, yeah keep talking!" There a scream from the audience, and it took her a moment to see that it was Rouge. "Everyone knows you've been after Zack's job since before we got here!"

The Judge slammed down the gavel. "Order in the –!"

"Oh, zip it grandad!" Rouge barked. "We're having this big, fancy trial, even though everyone knows he didn't anything wrong!"

"Zip it yourself, Rouge!" Barnham yelled back, twisting in his seat to look up at her.

"Don't shush me! I'm helping you!"

"You're not helping anyone but yourself!"

Boistrum slammed a hand down on the bench. "Defendant! May I remind you you have the right to remain silent?" He smirked. "I advise you exercise that right, unless you want your inevitable verdict to go even faster?" Barnham scowled, but shut his mouth, lips turning pale they were pressed together so tight. "Good."

"Your honour." Eve forced herself to remain calm. "I would like to suggest that the Inquisition treat my client with a little more respect. He is innocent until proven guilty, after all."

"Or in this case, innocent even after admitting his guilt, at least in your eyes." Boistrum folded his arms, tilting his head. "Perhaps you're a little too close to this case to play the part of the defence, Miss Darklaw?"

"Captain Boistrum." All eyes turned to the Judge. "You were selected as the Inquisitor for this case, but may I remind you that you are not in command of this court. You will be expected to treat both the defence and her client with an appropriate degree of reverence. If you are unable to do this, I will be forced to offer a default judgement, and victory will go to, in your words, our two 'delightful' Inquisitors."

"Uh… Yes, your honour."

"Though I have made one observation," he continued. "If you are indeed correct, and Lady Darklaw did not give her consent, why would she be standing here fighting for Sir Barnham's innocence?"

"That is a question we hope to answer," Boistrum said smoothly, having regained his composure. "I'd like to call in three witnesses that I'm sure can shed some light on their current relationship status. Noble witnesses, please take to the stand."

The three couldn't have been more different from one another. Miss Primstone stood as tall and rigid as ever, lips pursed, eyebrows raised, waving that familiar pointer in the air. Eve's gaze hardened when her eyes moved to Foxy, standing with her hips tilted, eyes hidden under that helmet, bust practically bursting out of her 'armour'. She turned to smile at Barnham. He scowled back. And the last witness…

"What on earth is he doing here?!" Eve exclaimed. The Judge sighed deeply, and Barnham dropped his head into his hands.

"What _?!_ " Emeer Puchenbaug stood swaying slightly, brandishing a mug of ale. "I witnessed this crime just as well as any of these ladies! I done seen alllllllllll of it!" He sounded out the word 'all' so long it was stupid.

"You're drinking so much I doubt you even remember what Zacharias was accused of!" Eve was appalled. "Your Honour, this is ridiculous! The defence objects to this witness!"

"Lady Darklaw, may I remind you that you are in court, and I would prefer if you didn't refer to the accused by his first name so casually." It's better than treating him like he isn't a person, Eve thought with frustration, but said nothing. "Secondly, was it not you that said we must listen to all key witnesses in order to reach an accurate verdict?"

"W-well yes, but –"

"Objection overruled. Captain Boistrum, you may begin."

"Thank you, your honour." Boistrum bowed. "Witnesses, would you be kind as to describe what you, in your opinion, think of Lady Darklaw and Sir Barnham's relationship?"

"Objection!" Eve pointed at him across the room, arm outstretched fully, finger unwavering. Barnham smiled at the sight. So _dramatic_. "May I ask what exactly that line of questioning would achieve?"

"Hopefully, it may show exactly what the chances were that you did in fact offer your consent. It may also show the reason behind your apparent loyalty to the accused, despite the fact that you are the victim in this case." Boistrum explained, addressing the court and not her. "I'm sure you understand the importance of these statements. Witnesses, please go right ahead."

* * *

 _Witness Testimony_

"For the most part, they seemed fairly professional whilst they were Inquisitors," Miss Primstone said in that high-pitched, hypercritical tone. "However, a few months ago something changed. He acted different around her somehow."

"It's totally obvious, isn't it?" Foxy giggled and flicked her hair. "The pair are clearly in love. Poor Zacharias… having to be tethered to someone so… what's the word? Unladylike." She giggled again, and Eve narrowed her eyes. Barnham curled his lip, scowl deepening.

"Those guys have probably been together since they met." Emeer slurred. "She's pretty, he's pretty… What happened at the office a few days ago was always gonna happen, and I'm willing to bet cash it wasn't the first time."

"Subtlety certainly was not their strong suit," Miss Primstone remarked.

"It's only their own fault," Foxy purred. "If they didn't want someone to take all those photos, they shouldn't have been doing _that_ in a public office. I can't stand exhibitionists." Barnham snorted as he tried not to burst out laughing and Eve sneered. Oh the irony.

* * *

"I see…" The Judge said. "So the pair were rumoured to be in a relationship for quite some time then?"

"I was Master Barnham's teacher," Miss Primstone added. "I know a schoolboy crush when I see one." Barnham's cheeks went pink, and Eve nibbled a lip. That was it? The whole testimony? What was she supposed to get from _that_? She furrowed her brow, thinking hard, trying to find something, anything…

"Your Honour," Boistrum said. "I think we can all agree that it's clear that the accused and the victim were –"

"Objection!" Eve pointed on instinct, and the room fell silent at her voice. "Your honour, there is a glaring contradiction in that testimony!"

"Objection!" Boistrum slammed down a fist. Copying Zacharias again, Eve noted. "Impossible! They were merely offering their opinions! An opinion cannot be wrong!"

"Miss Foxy!" Eve's finger moved to point at her. "Can you repeat your last statement exactly?"

"Me?" Foxy lay a hand on her chest. "What could I have said?"

"Your last statement, Miss Foxy, please." She repeated, walking around the bench to the witness stand, standing directly across from her.

"I said if you didn't want someone to take all those photos, you shouldn't have been doing that in a public office." She smiled sweetly. "You must admit, I do have a point, honey."

"Lady Darklaw," The Judge addressed her as she moved back behind the defence bench. "May I ask where exactly the contradiction is in her testimony?"

"Miss Foxy used the words 'all those photos', however this court has only seen one."

"Argh!" Boistrum exclaimed, and Eve smirked.

"I see you've noticed it too, Mr Boistrum. You see, Your Honour, there were actually quite a few pictures taken of me and the accused. The only people who could possibly know of the rest of the photos are myself, the accused, and of course, the person who took the photographs themselves!" Eve slammed her hands on the desk. "If this is true…" She pointed right at Foxy. "How could Foxy possibly know about them?!"

Foxy cried out, and Boistrum shouted in defeat, recoiling as if he'd been slapped. The crowds began to chatter again, and Eve felt quite proud. Barnham was grinning at her, and winked when they locked eyes. She couldn't help but beam back. "Order!" The Judge shouted over them. "Order in this court! Miss Foxy? Do you have anything to say in response?"

Foxy looked flustered. "Uhm, well, you see, I…"

"Objection!" Boistrum stepped in. "You don't know for sure that the witness wasn't also sent copies of the photographs!"

"Yes! That's what happened!" Foxy agreed zealously. "They got sent to me a few days ago in the post! I was shocked, of course, so I threw them away so no one would see them. I wouldn't want you two to get embarrassed, now would I?"

Dammit! Eve was at a loss. What could she say…?

"Objection!" Barnham shouted suddenly. The Judge gave him a look of disapproval. "Please, let me speak!"

"Accused, have I not instructed you to be silent?" Boistrum shook his head. "I don't want another word out of you."

"Your honour, I request permission for my client to speak on his behalf!" Eve asked. The Judge shifted in his seat before sighing.

"…Permission granted. The accused may have his say."

"Thank you, your honour." Eve nodded to Barnham, who deflated in relief.

"What Foxy said is impossible," Barnham said. "The photos were taken on a Polaroid camera. This particular model of camera can only take one hundred photos on one sheet of film. Look at the numbers on the back of the photo, milord." The Judge turned the photo over, squinting at what was printed on the back. "The number of the photo is printed on the back. I was sent fifty photos, and so was Ev– I mean, Lady Darklaw. The notion that Foxy could have received any more is impossible."

"Objection!" Boistrum said. "How can you not be sure that whoever took the photos didn't just change the film to take more?"

"The camera was stolen from a friend of mine," Barnham replied with a smirk. "She stated herself that she hardly ever uses it. It's unlikely that she would have expensive, spare film just lying around for something she doesn't use. Furthermore, I'm willing to bet that a quick search of Foxy's rubbish bin at her house would reveal that she received no such photographs." He leaned back in the chair and smiled. "That's all. Thank you."

The court exploded into noise, the crowd talking among themselves and shouting and chanting.

"That's the Barnham we know and love!"

"Such elegance and tenacity… It's almost as if nothing's changed!"

Eve grinned. They were all on his side now. They might just get the verdict they needed. "This court will take a thirty-minute recess while we investigate these new developments," The Judge announced. "That's all for now. Court adjourned!"

The gavel struck, and Eve released a breath she'd been holding, and looked at Barnham once more. His eyes were heavy with emotion, though he didn't look too fearful anymore. She'd made him feel better. _She_ felt better.

As she walked out of the courtroom, she savoured having the upper hand, and hoped the discoveries made during the break would work to their advantage.

Please God let it work to their advantage.


	8. Final Verdict

"Court is back in session!" The gavel struck once more, and the courtroom fell silent. "Now, back to the matter at hand. Bailiff!" The bailiff ran off on cue, presumably to fetch something. Eve exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. She was tired. "During this short break, we were able to do a quick search through Miss Foxy's rubbish bin, as well as any others that may have been available to her…and we found no photographs similar to what she described." There were whispers in the crowds. Espella grasped her hands together and looked hopeful, smiling at Eve from where she sat in the stands.

"Your honour." Eve addressed both him and the court. "I think that this information alone has proved one thing beyond a shadow of a doubt – this witness is unreliable! Her testimony cannot be trusted, nor can anything else she said while at the witness stand!"

"Yes, that does seem to be the case." The Judge agreed. "Does the inquisition have any objections?"

Boistrum gritted his teeth, looking no less tired than her. "None, your honour."

"Good." The Bailiff returned, holding a cardboard box in his arms, and passed it up to the judge. "Thank you, Bailiff. Following the defendant's testimony, we did a thorough search of the tavern belonging to a one Ms Rouge, and we discovered the very camera he described, hidden in a box underneath the counter." Boistrum scowled and glared at Barnham, who now sat quite comfortably in his seat. He fired him a confident smile. Boistrum's scowl deepened. "Though he has been accused of a most heinous act, I firmly believe that the defendant's opinion is both trustworthy and valuable."

"Objection!" Boistrum shook his head. "With all due respect, your honour, I strongly disagree." He pointed at Barnham, who arched a brow. "That man violated his fellow co-worker, and broke a rather serious contract which he vowed to uphold! He was even caught in the act red-handed, and admitted his guilt in this very court. While I understand his unquestionable…" He searched for the right word. "…popularity with the townspeople, you cannot let him use his physical appearance and fame to charm himself out of a crime!"

"Objection!" Eve was quick to respond. "My client has earned the respect of the townspeople by being a good leader and a kind person, even during Project Labyrinthia. In the eyes of the law, he is still yet to be proven guilty. Surely the fact that people trust him and you acknowledge this is an indication of his _innocence_ , Captain Boistrum?" She pointed out. His eyes narrowed, but said nothing in retort.

"Your honour." He sighed, almost sounding defeated. "I'd like to call one more witness to the stand if I may."

"O-of course." The Judge complied. Eve frowned. This wasn't good; they hadn't been expecting another testimony.

"The inquisition calls Miss Rouge to the stand." Eve raised a brow as Rouge approached the stand, looking indignant and bored. "Would you please state your name and occupation, witness?"

"Rouge."

"Your full name, please."

Her gaze hardened and she squinted up at Boistrum. " _Rouge_. I run a tavern near here."

"And you witnessed the defendant's arrest, correct?" He glanced over a few notes scrawled in a slim file. "In fact you were the only witness."

"Yeah, that's right." She nodded. "It was in my tavern as well. I assume you're going to reimburse me for the damage done, by the way? Those knights almost broke the hinges off my doors!"

Boistrum chuckled. "Miss Rouge, the damage done by the knights would actually have to be repaid by their commander, which, in this case, is your friend over there in handcuffs." Rouge spun and Barnham gave a little wave with both hands. She sniggered.

"Witness." Rouge groaned, turning back to face the front. "Would you please testify about exactly what happened the night that the accused was taken into custody?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Why?"

"You clearly have a role in this, Miss Rouge." He smiled cruelly. "We'd like to establish exactly what this role is."

The was pause. "…Fine."

* * *

 _Witness Testimony_

"It was Sunday night, at about eleven maybe, and I'd closed up a few hours ago when Zack showed up." She stated flatly. "He wanted to ask me if I'd seen anything weird around the courthouse a few days before, and when we got talking, I found my camera in the Lost and Found box. Right away, he snatched it straight outta my hands, told me that someone hid in his office to take photos of him and Darklaw, and that he wanted to find out who did it."

Rouge picked at her nails and swallowed. "We looked at the camera, and found some sticky stuff round the lens. It looked like nail glue, so we straightaway started suspecting Foxy of stealing it and taking the photos." She scowled at Boistrum. "And then, just as we were onto something, these three knights showed up, brandishing a photo, and arrested Zack for sexual assault."

The court fell into an eerie silence, and Rouge shrugged. "That's pretty much it."

* * *

"I see." The Judge leaned back in his chair. "Defence, you may cross-examine this witness."

"Ready, your honour." Eve placed her hands on the desk to steady herself, locking her jaw, the atmosphere turning thick around her. Rouge was on their side – this couldn't go wrong.

"Witness," Eve said, strolling towards the witness' bench, hips sashaying so naturally it was scary. Barnham stared in adoration. There was something so undeniably attractive about a woman who could hold her own, who was strong, and it drove him half mad. "You stated that the accused visited your tavern to ask you if you'd 'seen anything weird around the courthouse a few days before'." She quoted, tilting her head. "May I ask what your answer was to this question? As well as why you were at the courthouse?"

Rouge grinned and snickered. "Well…" She began, her face turning playful.

There was a loud cough, and it took her a moment to realise it came from Barnham. He shook his head at Rouge, who rolled her eyes and turned back to Eve. "I went to see if Zack wanted to hang out, but… the door to the office was locked. I assumed he was just busy with work, so I left. And I didn't see anyone shady," She said flatly. Eve frowned.

"Miss Rouge, if you are keeping anything from this court, I strongly advise you do not."

Rouge cleared her throat and stifled a laugh. Eve didn't notice Barnham grimace and close his eyes. "Well, um… I went to the courthouse at about one to see if Zack wanted to hang out, and the door was locked. I was about to use a spare key to open it, since that door isn't meant to be locked anyway, but then I looked through the crack I the door, and…" Eve felt heat rise to her face as she realised what had happened. "Zack was clearly unreachable at that moment, so I left."

"I-I see." Eve coughed and a quiet laugh rippled through the crowd, though a glare from the two rather flushed ex-Inquisitors shut them up fast. "You honour, may I examine the camera?"

"Of course." The Judge had a hint of an amused smile on his face as the camera was passed to her. She looked closely around the lens, and saw a blob of something clear and jelly-like. It was sticky to the touch and held its shape when she prodded it.

"Your honour, look." Eve pointed to the lens. "This does resemble some kind of glue. And I bet if we were to kindly ask Miss Foxy to show us her nail kit, we'd find more of the exact same stuff."

"Captain Boistrum!" The Judge turned to him. "Do you have any objections to bringing Miss Foxy back to the stand?"

"Does it matter what I say?" He shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"The court requests that Miss Foxy return to the witness stand!" The Judge boomed, slamming down the gavel. After a few moments, the busty blonde was back behind the bench, tossing her hair and wearing a clearly fake smile. "Witness, do you have anything to say about these accusations?"

"Your honour." Boistrum spoke before she could, scowling up at The Judge. "My witness is under no obligation to respond. She has a right –"

"Yeah, I did it." Foxy said matter-of-factly, running a hand through long, hair extensions. "I took the pictures. And I'm sorry." She beamed at Eve. "Miss Belduke, you're a lucky woman. Enjoy him while it lasts." The Judge looked bewildered. Barnham looked sceptical. She sniffed. "So can I go?"

"You honour, the defence demands this witness to make a statement!" Eve commanded.

"O-of course, Lady Darklaw!" The Judge complied quickly, and Eve nodded with gratitude, thankful that there was still some authority over the townspeople left over from when she was Inquisitor. "Witness! We want a full testimony on your crime! Spare no details!"

* * *

Witness Testimony

"Me and Zacharias had a pretty fun night at the tavern a few days ago," Foxy giggled. "Most of the knights know I've been interested in him for a while now, but we also know he wasn't interested in me, but in someone else." Her voice had an edge to it. "I thought that… if I took the camera… and hid in their office and took pictures of her… I thought she could be doing something dodgy o-or weird, and if I caught her, he might not like her anymore." She coughed, her voice starting to shake. "I didn't expect him to show up too."

"They were just talking at first…" She stammered, fists clenching and words catching in her throat. "I hid under Zach's desk, not really listening to what they were saying, just concentrating on not getting caught. It sounded like they were fighting, then their voices dropped so low I couldn't even hear them." Her teeth grit, and she spat out her next words. "And then he kissed her. Just like we'd kissed that one time, but… The way he kissed her was…" She swallowed. "I realised then that he cared about her. Like, really, really cared about her, like he would never care for me." The intensity behind her words almost made Eve feel sorry for her. "So in the spur of the moment, I changed my plan. I thought that I could humiliate both of them, take down their relationship, make them afraid to even touch because they thought someone would be watching… but I never meant to cause any of this.

"I was there, Milord," Foxy spoke to The Judge directly. "He didn't force her to do anything."

* * *

The entire court was silent, no one daring to speak. Foxy looked as if she would cry, even with half her face covered. Barnham sighed deeply and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. He looked drained.

"Your honour," Eve said slowly, clearing her throat. "I see no need to cross examine this witness."

"Neither do I, Your Honour. However, Lady Darklaw," Boistrum smirked. "What exactly does this prove?"

"Excuse me?" Eve leaned over the bench, tilting her head. "Perhaps you could elaborate on that, Captain Boistrum?"

"By all means." He motioned to the case file still sitting in front of him. "It has been proven that Miss Foxy did in fact break into a private office and seriously breached two citizens' privacy, two crimes that she will be charged and punished for should you choose to press charges, I can assure you. But what I wanted to ask was what this does for the accused." He turned to face Barnham. "No matter who took those photographs and whether or not Lady Darklaw did in fact give her consent, both you and and her broke a contract you vowed to uphold, even if one of you was under hypnosis at the time."

Dammit. Eve scowled and squeezed her eyes shut. Think, Eve, dammit! You have to think!

"Lady Darklaw?" Boistrum teased. "Do you need a lie down?"

Eve's mind raced, going in circles, desperate to find an answer, a way out, and finding nothing. You must get something! You can't let him go! You can't lose him! You cannot lose him… not like this…

Her eyes shot open suddenly, back straightening and adrenaline bursting within her and rushing through every limb. She had it! She had something! "Objection!"

"Defence!" The Judge exclaimed as he jumped. "Please, warn me before doing that!"

"Your Honour, I call the defendant to the stand."

"Lady Darklaw –"

"Please, Your Honour! I just need to ask one thing! One question, please!"

The elderly man sighed and closed his eyes. "One question."

"Thank you. Thank you, Your Honour." She looked at Zacharias hopefully as he approached the stand, still handcuffed and still looking tired. This _has_ to work. It just has to.

"Defendant." Eve walked so she was stood opposite him, striding confidently. He grinned, and she tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as they locked eyes. She had to keep a clear head right now. "I am going to ask you a simple question and I want you to answer honestly." Barnham nodded and arched a brow. "Defendant, I'd like you to tell me and the court… your age."

There was a pause. "My _age_?" He asked, as if he thought he'd misheard her. She nodded.

"Lady Darklaw," The Judge said slowly. "May I ask where you're going with this?"

"Trust me, Your Honour. Defendant, your age, please."

Zacharias blinked. "…I turned twenty-eight last month."

Eve nodded thankfully. "Captain Boistrum, may I ask you to check the date on this contract that the defendant and I swore to maintain? How many years ago was it?"

He flicked through the file and glanced at a few words. "Er… the date says about eleven years ago." His expression changed in an instant. "Agh!"

"You've seen it too then." Eve smiled devilishly and walked back behind the defence bench. "As we now know, the defendant is twenty-eight years old. I myself am twenty-six. If him and I sighed this eleven years ago… we would both be minors!"

Zacharias almost laughed in relief, and Boistrum snarled at him, the crowds chattering and chanting and cheering once again.

"It is a well-known fact that a contract signed by a minor is in no way legally binding. Both me and the accused were never under any obligation to maintain anything written in that contract. Ergo, my client is innocent!" The court was even more raucous and loud than the tavern usually was, the entire room full of the sound of shouts and roars, all asking for a verdict. The Judge silenced them.

"Well this has been an interesting trial," he said, sounding satisfied. "And I would like to say, from the start, I never doubted you, Sir Barnham." Zacharias just nodded thankfully, too stunned to speak. "Lady Darklaw, I commend you in your duty. You truly delivered an iron-clad defence. I wish both you and Sir Barnham all the best."

"Thank you, Your Honour." Eve bowed, smiling proudly.

"And now I deliver my verdict for Zacharias Barnham." He raised the gavel. "Not guilty! Court is adjourned!" The gavel fell, and the court exploded into noise. Rouge whooped louder than everyone calling to her friend, calling to Eve, grinning from ear to ear. Espella clapped and shouted Eve's name to get her attention. Patty smiled and nodded smugly. Boistrum looked furious. Eve's gaze turned to Zacharias, still standing at the witness bench. At first he looked overwhelmed, not reacting at all, then the news hit him all at once and he looked as if he was going to collapse from sheer relief. He deflated and closed his eyes, then started to laugh, burying his face in his hands, looking to Eve with eyes overflowing with emotion, and she beamed at him.

After a few minutes, people started to disperse. Eve stood in the lobby, the townspeople congratulating her as they left, shaking her hand. Espella didn't hesitate to envelop her in a bear hug, and Patty squeezed her shoulders. Rouge offered her a high five, before changing her mind and punching her arm lightly instead. A large clump of people came out all at once, and it took her a minute to realise that Zacharias was in the centre of them all, peoples' arms slung over his shoulders, ruffling his hair, shaking his hand, all congratulating him. When they saw Eve, they went to her, doing a similar thing, though slightly more respectfully, she noted.

When most of the crowd had left the courthouse, Zacharias turned to her. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but found himself at a loss for words.

"…I don't know what to say." He admitted, shaking his head and chuckling to himself.

Eve smiled. "A simple 'thank you' would be a start?" He gave a short laugh, before taking her in his arms, holding her close. Eve wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder in a warm embrace.

"Thank you." He whispered, pulling away from her so their faces were almost touching. "Thank you, Eve." She smiled, and he leaned in closer–

"Hey, lovebirds!" Rouge peeked around the corner and chuckled. "Everyone's down by the bell tower! Come on!" The pair said nothing. Rouge narrowed her eyes. "We're celebrating, geniuses! You guys are the life of the party, hurry up!" She disappeared around the corner and Zacharias went to follow her, before pausing and turning to Eve.

"Are you coming?" Eve paused and shook her head.

"I-I'm not really into that kind of –"

"Oh shush!" He grabbed her hand, pulling her along despite her protests. "Everyone likes parties. And I think we deserve it after all that, don't you?"

"Zacharias, let me go!" Eve exclaimed, trying to tug her hand from his. She often forgot how strong he was.

"Come now, Eve!" He laughed as she clawed at his fingers. "I'd sooner not have to carry you!" Eve kept prying his hand away, until eventually he sighed and turned around. "Look, we don't have to stay long. We'll stick around, say hello to everyone, and then we can go celebrate on our own. Okay?" She nodded reluctantly, and Zacharias smiled, releasing her hand and choosing to wrap an arm around her waist instead.

The two walked slowly back to the town centre, the sunlight warm against their skin, and savoured their victory. This time, however, they knew it wouldn't be short-lived.

* * *

I promised I'd update this didn't I?

Probably just gonna do a couple more chapters on this, tops. I have a few more ideas for fics floating around though, don't you worry…


End file.
